Ayrshire (, ) is a historic county and

registration county A registration county was, in Great Britain and Ireland, a statistical unit used for the registration of births, deaths and marriages and for the output of census information. In Scotland registration counties are used for land registration purpose ...

, in south-west

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 ...

, located on the shores of the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...

. The

lieutenancy area Lieutenancy areas (), officially counties and areas for the purposes of the lieutenancies, are the separate areas of the United Kingdom that are appointed to a lord-lieutenant – a representative of the British monarch. In many cases they have s ...

Ayrshire and Arran Ayrshire and Arran is a lieutenancy area of Scotland. It consists of the council areas of East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. The area of Ayrshire and Arran is also a brand for tourist attractions. The area has joint electoral ...

covers the entirety of the historic county as well as the island of Arran, formerly part of the historic county of Buteshire. Its principal towns include Ayr,

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...

and Irvine and it borders the counties of

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...

and

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

to the north-east,

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the hi ...

to the south-east, and Kirkcudbrightshire and

Wigtownshire Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the Counties of Scotland, historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an counties of Scotland, administrative county used for ...

to the south. Like many other counties of Scotland, it currently has no administrative function, instead being sub-divided into the

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 ...

s of

East Ayrshire East Ayrshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Roa ...

North Ayrshire North Ayrshire (, ) is one of 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and s ...

and South Ayrshire. It has a population of approximately 366,800. The electoral and valuation area named Ayrshire covers the three council areas of East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire, therefore covering the whole historic county of Ayrshire but also including the

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; ) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Counties of Scotland, Historically part of Buteshire, it is in the ...

, Great Cumbrae and Little Cumbrae from the historic county of Buteshire. The three council areas together also form the ''

. The largest settlement in Ayrshire by population is

, closely followed by Ayr, the

county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...

Geography

Ayrshire is roughly crescent-shaped and is a predominantly flat county with areas of low hills; it forms part of the

Southern Uplands The Southern Uplands () are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland's three major geographic areas (the others being the Central Lowlands and the Highlands). The term is used both to describe the geographical region and to col ...

geographic region of Scotland. The north of the county contains the main towns and bulk of the population. East of Largs can be found the Renfrewshire Heights, which continue south to the hill-country around Blae Loch. Southern Ayrshire shares with the

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 ...

counties some rugged hill country known as the

Galloway Hills The Galloway Hills are part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland, and form the northern boundary of western Galloway. They lie within the bounds of the Galloway Forest Park, an area of some of largely uninhabited wild land, managed by Forestry an ...

. These hills lie to the west of the A713 (Ayr to Castle Douglas road) and they run south from the Loch Doon area almost to the

Solway Firth The Solway Firth is an inlet on the west coast of Great Britain, forming part of the border between England and Scotland. The firth (a Scottish term for an inlet of the sea) divides Cumbria (including the Solway Plain) from Dumfries and Gallow ...

. To the east of this route through the hills lie the Carsphairn and Scaur Hills which lie to the south east of

Dalmellington Dalmellington (, ) is a market town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, 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, co ...

and south of New Cumnock. Glen Afton runs deep into these hills. Ayrshire is one of the most agriculturally fertile regions of Scotland. Potatoes are grown in fields near the coast, using seaweed-based fertiliser, and in addition the region produces pork products, other root vegetables, and cattle (see below); and summer berries such as strawberries are grown abundantly. A number of small islands in the Firth of Clyde are part of Ayrshire, the chief of these being Horse Isle, Lady Isle and Ailsa Craig.

Rivers

The main rivers flowing to the Clyde coast are, from north to south, the following: * River Garnock * River Irvine * River Ayr * River Doon * River Girvan * River Stinchar File:HorseIsleNearArdrossan(StuartMcMahon)Jun2004.jpg, Horse Isle File:Ayr Beach, Scotland - geograph.org.uk - 16915.jpg, Part of Ayr Beach with the Heads of Ayr in the background File:Boydshillslack2.JPG, Boyd's Hill near Dunlop File:Garnock Water near Glengarnock Castle 2.JPG, The Garnock's Waters near Glengarnock Castle File:View towards Mochrum Hill - geograph.org.uk - 231335.jpg, Mochrum Hill near Kirkoswald File:Lendalfoot from Little Carleton Farm, Lendalfoot, South Ayrshire, Scotland.jpg, Lendalfoot coast, with Ailsa Craig in the distance

History

The area that today forms Ayrshire was part of the area south of the

Antonine Wall The Antonine Wall () was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Built some twenty years after Hadrian's Wall to the south ...

which was briefly occupied by the Romans during the reign of Emperor

Antoninus Pius Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius (; ; 19 September 86 – 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from AD 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors from the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. Born into a senatorial family, Antoninus held var ...

(see: Roman Britain#Occupation and retreat from southern Scotland). It was inhabited by the Damnonii, who are presumed to have been Britons. Later, it formed part of the British

Kingdom of Strathclyde Strathclyde (, "valley of the River Clyde, Clyde"), also known as Cumbria, was a Celtic Britons, Brittonic kingdom in northern Britain during the Scotland in the Middle Ages, Middle Ages. It comprised parts of what is now southern Scotland an ...

, which was incorporated into the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a Anglo-Sc ...

during the 11th century. In 1263, the Scots successfully drove off the Norwegian '' leidang''-army in a skirmish known as the

Battle of Largs The Battle of Largs (2 October 1263) was a battle between the kingdoms of Kingdom of Norway (872–1397), Norway and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, on the Firth of Clyde near Largs, Scotland. The conflict formed part of the Scottish–Norwegian ...

A notable historic building in Ayrshire is Turnberry Castle, which dates from the 13th century or earlier, and which may have been the birthplace of

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 ...

. The historic

shire Shire () is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries. It is generally synonymous with county (such as Cheshire and Worcestershire). British counties are among the oldes ...

sheriffdom A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland, led by a sheriff principal. Since 1 January 1975, there have been six sheriffdoms. Each sheriffdom is divided into a series of sheriff court districts, and each sheriff court is presided over by a r ...

of Ayr was divided into three districts or ''bailieries'' which later made up the

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

of Ayrshire. The three districts were: * Carrick in the south. It was situated between the Doon and the wild district of Galloway in the adjoining Stewartries, an area that was little else than a vast tract of hills and mosses. * Kyle in the centre, which included the

royal burgh A royal burgh ( ) was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs. Most royal burghs were either created by ...

of Ayr, occupied the central district between the River Irvine in the north, and the River Doon in the south and south-west, an area that is quite hilly inland. It was subdivided into "Kyle Stewart", (sometimes called "Stewart Kyle" or "Walter's Kyle") and "King's Kyle," the former embracing the country between the Irvine and the River Ayr; and the latter, the triangular portion between the Ayr and the Doon, which is honoured as the birthplace and youthful home of

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 ...

. * Cunninghame in the north which included the royal burgh of Irvine was that part of the county which lay north of the Irvine water, and was in an area that is generally level and fertile. The area used to be heavily industrialised, with steel making,

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

and in Kilmarnock numerous examples of production-line manufacturing, most famously

Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was established in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire in 1820, and continued to be produced and bottled at the town's Hill Street plant, once the world's ...

whisky. In more recent history, Digital Equipment had a large manufacturing plant near Ayr from about 1976 until the company was taken over by

Compaq Compaq Computer Corporation was an American information technology, information technology company founded in 1982 that developed, sold, and supported computers and related products and services. Compaq produced some of the first IBM PC compati ...

in 1998. Some supplier companies grew up to service this site and the more distant

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

plant at

Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...

. Scotland's aviation industry has long been based in and around Prestwick and its

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...

, and although aircraft manufacture ceased at the former

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft manufacturer, aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer that was formed in 1977. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. ...

plant in 1998, a significant number of aviation companies are still based on the Prestwick site. However, unemployment in the region (excluding the more rural South Ayrshire) is above the national average. Throughout the 17th century, huge numbers of people from Ayrshire moved to

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

, the northern

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, as part of the

Plantation of Ulster The Plantation of Ulster (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: ) was the organised Settler colonialism, colonisation (''Plantation (settlement or colony), plantation'') of Ulstera Provinces of Ireland, province of Irelandby people from Great ...

, many of them with surnames such as Burns, Hamilton, Morrow, Stewart, Flanagan, Kennedy and Cunningham. Today, the

Ulster Scots dialect Ulster Scots or Ulster-Scots (), also known as Ulster Scotch and Ullans, is the dialect (whose proponents assert is a dialect of Scots language, Scots) spoken in parts of Ulster, being almost exclusively spoken in parts of Northern Ireland a ...

is largely an offshoot of the version of Lowland Scots spoken in Ayrshire. The

is still widely spoken throughout

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...

and in parts of

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

and

County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...

, as well as still being widely spoken in West

Tír Eoghain Tír Eoghain (), also known as Tyrone, was a kingdom and later earldom of Gaelic Ireland, comprising parts of present-day County Tyrone, County Armagh, County Londonderry and County Donegal (Raphoe). The kingdom represented the core homeland of ...

and parts of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

(chiefly East Donegal and

Inishowen Inishowen () is a peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. Inishowen is the largest peninsula on the island of Ireland. The Inishowen peninsula includes Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head. The Grianan of Aileach, a ringfor ...

Local government

Commissioners of Supply Commissioners of Supply were local administrative bodies in Scotland from 1667 to 1930. Originally established in each sheriffdom to collect tax, they later took on much of the responsibility for the local government of the counties of Scotland. ...

were created in 1667 for each shire, and formed the main administrative body for the area until county councils were created in 1890 under 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 ...

. The 1889 act also led to a review of boundaries of many of Scotland's counties; in the case of Ayrshire the two parishes of

Beith Beith (locally ) is a small town in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland approximately south-west of Glasgow. The town is situated on the crest of a hill and was known originally as the "''Hill o' Beith''" (hill of the birches) afte ...

and Dunlop, which had both straddled Ayrshire and

, were brought entirely within Ayrshire. The

burgh A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...

s of Ayr and Kilmarnock were both excluded from the area controlled by the county council when it was created in 1890, being deemed capable of running their own services. In 1930 the

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 ( 19 & 20 Geo. 5. c. 25) reorganised local government in Scotland from 1930, introducing joint county councils, large and small burghs and district councils. The Act also abolished the Scottish poor law s ...

was implemented. This brought Ayr and Kilmarnock under the control of the county council, and re-designated all burghs as either large burghs or small burghs. Ayr and Kilmarnock were both classed as large burghs, allowing them to retain control of many functions, whilst the county's other burghs were all classed as small burghs, ceding many functions to the county council. The 1929 act also abolished the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

councils. In Ayrshire in excess of 30 parishes were consolidated into ten district councils. The District Councils were Ayr, Cumnock, Dalmellington, Girvan, Irvine, Kilbirnie, Kilmarnock, Maybole, Troon and Saltcoats. Ayrshire County Council was based at County Buildings in Wellington Square in Ayr. In May 1975 the county council was abolished and its functions were transferred to Strathclyde Regional Council. The county area was divided between four new districts within the two-tier

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 In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

: Cumnock and Doon Valley, Cunninghame, Kilmarnock and Loudoun and

Kyle and Carrick Kyle or Kyles may refer to: Name * Kyle (given name), a Gaelic given name, usually masculine * Kyle (surname), a surname of Scottish origin * Kyle (musician), a hip hop artist from California * Kyle (Child's Play), played by Christine Elise ...

. The Cunninghame district included the

, Great Cumbrae and Little Cumbrae, which had until then been administered as part of the

County of Bute The County of Bute (), also known as Buteshire, is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county of Scotland. Now replaced by Argyll and Bute for the Isle of Bute, with the Argyll and Bute Council. The Isle of Arran and The ...

. For lieutenancy purposes, the last

lord-lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility o ...

of the county of Ayrshire was made lord-lieutenant for the combined area of the four districts when the reforms came into effect in 1975, with the lieutenancy area being renamed

in 1996. In 1996 the two-tier system of regions and districts was abolished and Ayrshire was divided between the unitary council areas of

(covering the area of the former Kilmarnock & Loudoun District and Cumnock & Doon Valley District),

(covering the area of the former Cunninghame District Council) and South Ayrshire (covering the area of the former Kyle and Carrick District). The boundaries of the historic county of Ayrshire are still used for some limited official purposes connected with land registration, being a

Parliamentary constituencies

There was an Ayrshire constituency of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

of the

Parliament of Great Britain The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in May 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union 1707, Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a ...

from 1708 to 1801 and of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...

from 1801 until 1868, when the constituency was divided into Ayrshire North and Ayrshire South. During the whole of the 1708 to 1868 period, and until 1950, the

s of Ayr and Irvine were parliamentary burghs, represented as components of Ayr Burghs. In 1832

became a parliamentary burgh, to be represented as a component of Kilmarnock Burghs until 1918. Ayr Burghs and Kilmarnock Burghs were

districts of burghs The Act of Union 1707 and pre-Union Scottish legislation provided for 14 Members of Parliament (MPs) from Scotland to be elected from districts of burghs. All the parliamentary burghs (burghs represented in the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland ...

, and quite different in character from later Ayr and Kilmarnock constituencies. From 1918 to 1983 Ayrshire and Buteshire were treated as if a single area for purposes of parliamentary representation, with their combined area being divided into different constituencies at different times. Scottish local government counties were abolished in 1975, in favour of regions and districts, but the next reform of constituency boundaries was not until 1983. Constituencies covering Ayrshire may be listed by periods as below, but the story is somewhat more complicated than the lists may imply: until 1918, Ayr Burghs and Kilmarnock Burghs included burghs lying outside both Ayrshire and Buteshire; a particular constituency name may represent different boundaries in different periods; in 1974, there were boundary changes without the creation of any new constituency names.

Transport

A number of railway lines connect the towns of northern Ayrshire to each other and also to Glasgow, as well as south to

Stranraer Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; ), also known as The Toon or The Cleyhole, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on Loch Ryan and the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. Stranraer is Dumfries ...

and south-east to

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

. Ferries link Ayrshire to the islands of Arran and Great Cumbrae in Buteshire. Glasgow Prestwick International Airport, serving

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

and the west of Scotland more generally, is located away from Glasgow in Ayrshire; it provides various passenger flights to Spain, Portugal, Italy and Poland. The name ''Glasgow'' was added in front of Prestwick as per American military airport naming conventions, as the airport was in the past oft-used as a stopover by US military personnel on their way to and from military bases in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Moreover, it is known in rock history as the only place in Britain visited by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, on his way home from army service in Germany in 1960.

Towns and villages in Ayrshire

Alloway Alloway (, ) is a suburb of Ayr, and former village, in South Ayrshire, Scotland, located on the River Doon. It is best known as the birthplace of Robert Burns and the setting for his poem Tam o' Shanter (Burns poem), "Tam o' Shanter". Tobias Ba ...

Ardrossan Ardrossan (; ) is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in southwestern Scotland. The town has a population of 10,670 and forms part of a conurbation with Saltcoats and Stevenston known as the 'Three Towns#Scotland, Three Towns'. Ardrossan is loca ...

* Annbank * Ardeer * Auchentiber * Auchinleck * Ayr * Ballantrae *

Barassie Barassie () is a former village on the east shore of the Firth of Clyde in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Today it serves as a suburb outside the northern edge of Troon. To the north-east of Barassie is the Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club, Kilmarnock ...

* Barkip * Barr * Barrhill * Barrmill *

* Bellsbank * Belmont * Benslie * Bourtreehill * Broomlands * Burnhouse * Catrine * Colmonell *

Coylton Coylton () is a village and civil parish in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is east of Ayr and west of Drongan, on the A70 road, A70. Sundrum Castle Holiday Park is to the west of the village, in the grounds of Sundrum Castle, which partly date ...

* Craigie * Craigmalloch * Cronberry * Crosshill *

Crosshouse Crosshouse is a village in East Ayrshire East Ayrshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquar ...

* Cumnock * Cunninghamhead * Dailly * Dalgarven *

* Dalry * Dalrymple *

Darvel Darvel (, ) is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It is at the eastern end of the Loudoun, Irvine Valley and is sometimes referred to as "The Lang Toon" (). The town's Latin motto, , means "Not for ourselves, but for others". History Prehis ...

* Doonfoot * Drakemyre * Dreghorn * Drongan * Drybridge * Dundonald * Dunlop * Dunure * Fairlie * Fenwick * Fergushill * Fullarton * Galston * Gatehead * Gateside * Giffordland * Girdle Toll *

Girvan Girvan (, "mouth of the River Girvan") is a burgh and harbour town in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Girvan is situated on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde, with a population of about 6,450. It lies south of Ayr, and north of St ...

* Glenbuck * Glengarnock * Greenhills * Hansel * Haugh * Heathfield * Hessilhead hamlet * Highfield * Hurlford * Irvine * Joppa *

Kilbirnie Kilbirnie () is a small town of 7,280 (as of 2001) inhabitants situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is around southwest of Glasgow and approximately from Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley and ...

* Kilmaurs *

Kilwinning Kilwinning (, ; ) is a town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located on the banks of the River Garnock in Ayrshire, west/central Scotland, about southwest of Glasgow. Kilwinning's neighbours are the coastal towns of Stevenston to the west an ...

* Kincaidston * Kirkmichael * Kirkoswald * Knockentiber *

Largs Largs () is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town markets itself on its histor ...

* Lendalfoot *

Loans In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the debt ( ...

* Logan * Longbar *

Lugton Lugton is a small village or hamlet in East Ayrshire, Scotland with a population of 80 people. The A736 road runs through on its way from Glasgow, to the north, to Irvine, North Ayrshire, Irvine in North Ayrshire. Uplawmoor is the first settleme ...

* Lugar * Lylestone * Mauchline * Maidens *

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 ...

* Meikle Auchengree * Minishant *

Monkton Monkton may refer to: Places ;United Kingdom *Monkton, Devon, England *Monkton, Kent, England *Monkton, Pembroke, Wales *Monkton, South Ayrshire, Scotland *Monkton, Tyne and Wear, England *Monkton, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales ;Canada *Monkton, Ontari ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

* Montgreenan * Mossblown * Muirkirk * Netherthird * New Cumnock * Newmilns *

Ochiltree Ochiltree is a conservation 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. A cinerary urn was found i ...

* Old Dailly *

Patna Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...

* Pinmore * Pinwherry * Polnessan * Portencross * Prestwick * Priestland *

Rankinston Rankinston is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland, off the B730, approximately south east of the town of Ayr. Rankinston commands a panoramic view of over north, looking over the towns of Ayr, Prestwick and Troon. During the reign of Ro ...

* Riccarton *

Saltcoats Saltcoats (; Scots: ''Saulcuts'') is a town on the west coast of North Ayrshire, Scotland. The name is derived from the town's earliest industry when salt was harvested from the sea water of the Firth of Clyde, carried out in small cottages ...

* Seafield * Seamill * Skelmorlie * Sorn * Springside * Stair * Stevenston *

Stewarton Stewarton (,
) is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. ...

* Straiton * Symington *

Tarbolton Tarbolton () is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is near Failford, Mauchline, Ayr, and Kilmarnock. The old Fail Monastery was nearby and Robert Burns connections are strong, including the Bachelors' Club museum. Meaning of place-name ...

* Torranyard * Trabboch *

Troon Troon (Scottish Gaelic: ''An Truthail'') is a town and sea port in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Troon has a port with ferry and freight serv ...

* Turnberry * Waterside *

West Kilbride West Kilbride () is a village and historic parish in North Ayrshire, Scotland, on the west coast by the Firth of Clyde, looking across the Firth of Clyde to Goat Fell and the Isle of Arran. West Kilbride and adjoining districts of Seamill and P ...

Places of interest

* Auchenharvie Castle * Barony and Castle of Giffen * Cleeves Cove * Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park * Corsehill * Culzean Castle * Dalgarven Mill – Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume * Dean Castle -

* Eglinton Country Park *

Laigh Milton viaduct Laigh Milton Viaduct is a railway viaduct near Laigh Milton mill to the west of Gatehead, Ayrshire, Gatehead in East Ayrshire, Scotland, about west of Kilmarnock. It is probably the world's earliest surviving railway viaduct on a public railway ...

* Thurgartstone *Ayr Seafront Playpark *Burns National Heritage Park *The Low Green, Ayr * Turnberry (golf course)

People from Ayrshire

Hew Ainslie Hew Ainslie (5 April 1792 – 11 March 1878) was a Scottish poet. He was born in the parish of Dailly, in Ayrshire to George Ainslie and a mother whose name is unknown. After a fair education, he became a clerk in Glasgow, a landscape gardener i ...

(1792–1878), poet *

Nicola Benedetti Nicola Joy Nadia Benedetti (born 20 July 1987) is a Scottish classical solo violinist and festival director. Her ability was recognised when she was a child, including the award of BBC Young Musician of the Year when she was 16. She works wi ...

(1987–), classical violinist born in

* Sir

Thomas Brisbane Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Sir Thomas MacDougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet, (23 July 1773 – 27 January 1860), was a British Army officer, administrator, and astronomer. Upon the recommendation of the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke ...

(1773–1860), soldier and colonial administrator, after whom the city of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

is named. Born in

. * John Boyd Orr (1880–1971),

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

winner, born in Kilmaurs. * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), novelist, best known for '' The House with the Green Shutters'', born in

(1274–1329), possibly born in Turnberry Castle *

(1759–1796), poet, born in

* Kenneth Campbell (1917–1941), RAF pilot and posthumous recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, born in

* James McCosh Clark (1833–1898), mayor of

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, born in

* Robert Craufurd (1764–1812), British major general * John Dunlop (1840–1921), inventor of the pneumatic tyre, born in Dreghorn * Robert Dunsmuir (1825–1889), coal baron and industrial capitalist on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

* Henry Faulds (1843–1930), doctor, missionary and scientist, born in

* Andrew Fisher (1862–1928), 5th

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...

(1908–1909, 1910–1913 and 1914–1915) * Sir Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), inventor/discoverer of

penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of beta-lactam antibiotic, β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' Mold (fungus), moulds, principally ''Penicillium chrysogenum, P. chrysogenum'' and ''Penicillium rubens, P. ru ...

, born in

* John Galt (1779–1839), author *

Colin Hay Colin James Hay (born 29 June 1953) is a Scottish-Australian musician. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist and the sole continuous member of the band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist. Hay is a member of the band Ringo Starr & His ...

(1953–), singer and former lead-singer of Australian band

Men At Work Men at Work are an Australian rock band that was formed in Melbourne, 1979. They were best known for breakthrough hits such as " Down Under", " Who Can It Be Now?", " Be Good Johnny", " Overkill", and " It's a Mistake". Its founding member and ...

, born in

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

Angus Houston Air chief marshal (Australia), Air Chief Marshal Sir Allan Grant "Angus" Houston, (born 9 June 1947) is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force. He served as Chief of Air Force (Australia), Chief of Air Force from 20 June 2 ...

(1947–), current Australian Chief of Defence Force * George Houston (1869–1947), landscape painter of Scottish locales, born in Dalry * Tom Hunter (1961–), entrepreneur and philanthropist * Jenny Lindsay (1982–), poet * The MacDonald Brothers, recording artists and contestants on ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'' * Sir James MacMillan (1959–), classical composer and conductor * John McAdam (1756–1836), engineer and inventor of

macadam Macadam is a type of road construction pioneered by Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam , in which crushed stone is placed in shallow, convex layers and compacted thoroughly. A binding layer of stone dust (crushed stone from the original mat ...

James McCosh James McCosh (April 1, 1811 – November 16, 1894) was a philosopher of the Scottish School of Common Sense. He was president of Princeton University 1868–88. Biography McCosh was born into a Covenanter, Covenanting family in Ay ...

(1811–1894),

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

of the Scottish School of Common Sense and president of what would become

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

* Jai McDowall (1986–), winner of '' Britain's Got Talent'' in 2011 * Hugh McIlvanney (1934–2019), sports journalist, born in

William McIlvanney William Angus McIlvanney (25 November 1936 – 5 December 2015) was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, and poet. He was known as Gus by friends and acquaintances. McIlvanney was a champion of gritty yet poetic literature; his works ''Laidla ...

(1936–2015), writer, born in

* Sir Thomas McKillop, (1943–) CEO of

AstraZeneca AstraZeneca plc () (AZ) is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, UK. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas includi ...

, born in Dreghorn * James Henry McLean (1806–1886), physician and United States Congressman from

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

* Colin Mochrie (1957–), improvisational comedian and actor best known for being in ''

Whose Line Is It Anyway? ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' is a short-form improvisational comedy show created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. The three major versions of the show are the original 1988 British radio programme (from which all subsequent versions are ada ...

'', born in

William Murdoch William Murdoch (sometimes spelled Murdock) (21 August 1754 – 15 November 1839) was a Scottish chemist, inventor, and mechanical engineer. Murdoch was employed by the firm of Boulton & Watt and worked for them in Cornwall, as a steam engin ...

(1754–1839), inventor of

gas lighting Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a fuel gas such as methane, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either directly by ...

and engineer * Simon Neil (1979–), James Johnston (1980–), and Ben Johnston (1980–) of

Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish Rock music, rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, composed of Simon Neil (lead vocals, guitar) and twin brothers James Johnston (Scottish musician), James (bass, backing vocals) and Ben Johnston (Scottish musician), Be ...

* Bruce Milligan Nicol, OBE (1913–1987), physician and nutrition scientist * Alexander Peden (1626–1686), leading figure in the Covenanter movement *

Robert Simson Robert Simson (14 October 1687 – 1 October 1768) was a Scottish mathematician and professor of mathematics at the University of Glasgow. The Simson line is named after him.Elaine Smith (1962–), former actress who emigrated to Australia and found fame on television series ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...

'' in 1985 as original character Daphne Clarke. *

Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 to 2023. She has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) sin ...

(1970–), former

First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland () is the head of government of Scotland. The first minister leads the Scottish Government, the Executive (government), executive branch of the devolved government and is th ...

, born in Irvine

Sports

* Kimberly Benson (1991–), professional wrestler best known as Piper Niven and for her work in WWE and ICW * Kris Boyd (1983–), footballer, born in Irvine * Kirk Broadfoot (1984–), footballer, born in Irvine * Craig Burley (1971–), footballer, born in Ayr * George Burley (1956–), football manager and former player, born in Cumnock * Paul Caddis (1988–), football manager and former player, born in Irvine * Eric Caldow (1934–2019), footballer, born in Cumnock * Steve Clarke (1963–), football manager and former player, born in

* Paul Clarke (1956–), footballer, born in

Neill Collins Neill William Collins (born 2 September 1983) is a Scottish football manager and former player who is the head coach of USL Championship club Sacramento Republic. Collins is a former Scotland U21 and Scotland B international who played as a ...

(1983–), football manager and former player, born in

* Craig Conway (1985–), footballer, born in Irvine * Elsie Cook (1947–), footballer and former secretary of Scottish Women’s FA, born in

Stewarton Stewarton (,
) is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. ...

* Erin Cuthbert (1998–), footballer, born in Irvine * Noam Dar (1993–), professional wrestler signed to WWE performing on the

NXT UK ''NXT UK'' was a professional wrestling television programme that was produced exclusively in the United Kingdom by the American promotion WWE. It aired on BT Sport and 5Action (previously known as Paramount Network). In the United States, the ...

and 205 Live brands * Ben Doak (2005–), footballer, born in Dalry * Billy Dodds (1969–), football manager and former player, born in New Cumnock * Kris Doolan (1986–), football manager and former player, born in Irvine * Julie Fleeting (1980–), footballer, born in

* Alan Forrest (1996–), footballer, born in Irvine * James Forrest (1991–), footballer, born in Prestwick *

Drew Galloway Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June, 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. Galloway began his career in 2001 in the United Kingdom wit ...

(1985–), professional wrestler who performs on WWE's Smackdown brand as Drew McIntyre * Billy Gilmour (2001–), footballer, born in Irvine * Jamie Hamill (1986–), football manager and former player, born in Irvine * Garry Hay (1977–), footballer, born in Irvine * Jack Hendry (1995–), footballer, raised in Annbank * Gary Holt (1973–), football manager and former player, born in Irvine * Bobby Lennox (1943–), footballer, born in

* Lou Macari (1949–), football manager and former player, raised in

* Robby McCrorie (1998–), footballer, born in Dailly * Ross McCrorie (1998–), footballer, born in Dailly * Alan McInally (1963–), footballer, born in Ayr * Rory McKenzie (1993–), footballer, born in Irvine * Gordon McQueen (1952–2023), footballer, born in

* Steven Naismith (1986–), football manager and former player, born in Irvine *

Jamie Ness Jamie Ness (born 2 March 1991) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Ness began his career with Rangers and made his debut for the first team in January 2011. He then scored against Celtic in the Scottish ...

(1991–), footballer, born in Irvine *

Steve Nicol Stephen Nicol (born 11 December 1961) is a Scottish retired professional footballer who mainly played as a right back and occasionally played in other positions across defence and midfield. He played for the successful Liverpool teams of the 1 ...

(1961–), footballer, born in Irvine * Graeme Obree (1965–), cyclist, raised in Irvine * Jemma Reekie (1998–), middle-distance runner, raised in

* Rose Reilly (1955–), footballer, born in

* Craig Samson (1984–), footballer, born in Irvine *

Bill Shankly William Shankly (2 September 1913 – 29 September 1981) was a Scottish association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager who is best known for his time as manager of Liverpool F.C., Liverpool. Shankly brought su ...

(1913–1981),

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

manager, born in Glenbuck * Bob Shankly (1910–1982)

manager, born in Glenbuck * Ryan Stevenson (1984–), football manager and former player, born in Irvine * Ross Stewart (1996–), footballer, born in Irvine * Gordon Smith (1954–), footballer, born in

* Sam Torrance (1953–), professional golfer, born in

* David Watson (2005–), footballer, born in Prestwick

References

External links

South Ayrshire Council

Ayrshire & Arran Tourist Board

Place-Names of the Coalfield Communities
{{coord, 55, 30, N, 4, 30, W, region:GB_type:adm2nd_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Counties of Scotland Counties of the United Kingdom (1801–1922)

Geography

Rivers

History

Local government

Parliamentary constituencies

Transport

Towns and villages in Ayrshire

Places of interest

People from Ayrshire

Sports

See also

References

External links