Dundonald (

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, an ...

: ''Dùn Dhòmhnaill'') is a village in

South Ayrshire South Ayrshire ( sco, Sooth Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir a Deas, ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 Jun ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

The village

Dundonald Castle from the Old Bank woods

The village is mostly known for

Dundonald Castle Dundonald Castle is situated on a hill overlooking the village of Dundonald, between Kilmarnock and Troon in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Dundonald Castle is a fortified tower house built for Robert II on his accession to the throne of Scotl ...

, which was built in the 14th century by King Robert II, on the ruins of a castle built earlier (in 1260) by his grandfather,

Alexander Comyn Alexander Comyn, 2nd Earl of Buchan (died 1289) was a Scoto-Norman magnate who was one of the most important figures in the 13th century Kingdom of Scotland. He was the son of William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan, and Marjory, Countes ...

. It served the Scottish kings for 150 years. The ruins of Old Auchans Castle lies nearby, the previous residence of Susanna Montgomery, Lady Eglinton. In Dundonald Woods near the old Hallyards Farm are the ruins of

Kemp Law Dun Kemp Law Dun is a vitrified fort dating from the Iron Age situated near the town of Dundonald in South Ayrshire, Scotland. The remains of the Iron Age fort or dun lie on the old Auchans Estate in the Dundonald Woods near the site of the old ...

, an Iron Age vitrified hillfort, close to the site of St Mary's Chapel. Since 1945, it serves mostly as a

dormitory town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for the larger towns in the area.

The parish church

The present church (NS 366 343) was built in 1803, however the first recorded church was present in 1229 when it was gifted to the convent at Damilling and later to

Paisley Abbey Paisley Abbey is a parish church of the Church of Scotland on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, about west of Glasgow, in Scotland. Its origins date from the 12th century, based on a forme ...

, with whom it stayed until the Reformation. ;Views in and around Dundonald File:The Auchans Burial Ground, Dundonald.JPG, The Auchans Burial Ground, Dundonald Parish Church File:James Dunlop's memorial, Dundonald.JPG, Memorial to John Dunlop Esq., who lived to over ninety years of age; onetime Factor at Auchans Castle. File:Auchans Castle Ayrshire from South-East.JPG, A view from the South-East of Auchans House ruins in 2009 File:Lady Susanna Montgomery.JPG, A miniature of Susanna Montgomery, Lady Eglinton, Dowager Countess. Circa 1710. File:Commissioner Vernon.jpg, Commissioner Vernon of the Eglinton estates.

New Auchans House

A new Auchans House (NS 36035 34900) was built circa 1819, designed by William Wallace. The house was built for the Earl of Eglinton's commissioner Monteaulieu Burgess of Coilsfield, followed in 1885 by the Hon. Greville Richard Vernon, son of the 1st Lord Lyveden. Major Coats of the Paisley thread manufacturers tenanted the house at one time, as did the Beattie banking family. In 1947 the Earl of Eglinton sold the house to the Earl of Dundonald. The house was then sold by the Earl of Dundonald in 1960 to a builder and finally demolished in 1970 and the site has since been developed as a housing estate on the edge of the town.

Natural history

Dundonald Woods (NS363343) are one of the most extensive areas of elm-dominated woodlands in Ayrshire. Ash, oak and sycamore are also abundant; much of the policies are composed of derelict-coppiced-type growth from trees felled in the Second World War. Some conifer plantations are present. Wetland habitats are also present, including the Collennan Reservoir, springs and a eutrophic loch, contributing to the high biodiversity of the site. Dog's Mercury, Wood Melick, Broad-leaved Helleborine, and Giant Bellflower are amongst the significant plants present. Dundonald and Castle from Galrigs Loch site

Dundonald and Castle from Galrigs Loch site

The small loch of Galrigs was located near Laurieston Farm and the ruin of Lochside Farm; it is now evident as a marshy area dominated by rushes. Galrigs was the old name for the lands of Newfield.

Sport

Troon Dundonald A.F.C.

The prominent sports team in the village is

Troon Troon is a town 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 freight services and a yacht marina. Up until January 2016, P&O ope ...

Dundonald A.F.C. The club was formed in 1983 by 3 'ageing' players, at which time they were named Troon Burns A.F.C., and have now surpassed their 30th season in the

Ayrshire Amateur Football Association The Ayrshire Amateur Football Association is a football (soccer) league competition, primarily for amateur clubs in the Ayrshire region of Scotland. The association was founded in 1935, making it one of the oldest in the country. The associatio ...

. During this time they have had a few name changes, sometimes due to sponsorship commitments, but in 1998/99 season, they settled on Troon Amateurs Football Club. The club President, Stuart Urquhart, still remains from the original founders of the club and he is as passionate as ever about everything that goes on within the club, as well as with Amateur football in general. In the years since their formation, they have enjoyed 3 promotions in back to back seasons, 1983/84 through 1985/86, which saw them go from the 4th Division to the 1st of Ayrshire's Amateur Leagues, which is one of the largest & toughest amateur leagues in Scotland. In recent years, the club have developed to add youth teams below the amateur structure. In 2021 the club dug up the playing fields without properly consulting the community or obtaining the correct approvals, and were instructed to submit a retrospective planning application which is available for public comment.

Dundonald Highland Games

The main sports event in Dundonald is the annual "Dundonald Highland Games" which brings the whole village together for the weekend in sport.

The Slough of Despond

On the boundary of Dundonald and Symington parishes lies an area known as the 'Slough of Despond'. The original

Slough of Despond The Slough of Despond ( or ; "swamp of despair") is a fictional, deep bog in John Bunyan's allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', into which the protagonist Christian sinks under the weight of his sins and his sense of guilt for them. It is describ ...

is a deep bog in John Bunyan's allegory ''

The Pilgrim's Progress ''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a progenitor of t ...

'' into which the character Christian sinks under the weight of his sins and his sense of guilt for them. The burn in this area, rising near the old Broadhirst Farm, has long been known as the Slough, the Scots equivalent spelling is Sleugh, meaning a marsh or quagmire. It is not known how the name 'Slough of Despond' was added to the area, however it is recorded since the mid 19th century and may be linked to the nearby limekilns that were generally notorious for the acrid 'hell-like' smoke that issued from them. The Slough Burn still rises from the marshy area below the Broadhirst Woods, however the limestone quarry that served the limekilns is now abandoned, surviving as an area rich in wildlife, containing old woodland indicator plants such as Wood Anemone (

Anemone nemorosa ''Anemonoides nemorosa'' (syn. ''Anemone nemorosa''), the wood anemone, is an early-spring flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. Other common names include windflower, European thimbleweed, and smell fox, an all ...

), Bluebell (

Hyacinthoides non-scripta ''Hyacinthoides non-scripta'' (formerly ''Endymion non-scriptus'' or ''Scilla non-scripta'') is a bulbous perennial plant, found in Atlantic areas from north-western Spain to the British Isles, and also frequently used as a garden plant. It is ...

), Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), Dog's Mercury ( Mercurialis perennis), Herb Robert ( Geranium robertianum) and other species. The Slough Burn runs down past Dankeith House, Templeton and Fortacres, Todrigs and through Caprington, to join the River Irvine near

Gatehead The village or hamlet of Gatehead is located in East Ayrshire, Parish of Kilmaurs, Scotland. It is one and a quarter miles from Crosshouse and one and a half miles from Kilmarnock. In the 18th and 19th centuries the locality was a busy coal mini ...

Events

* August -
Dundonald Highland Games
- Traditional Scottish Highland Games. * May - "Dundonald Music Festival" - A weekend of booked bands and jam sessions.

References

;Notes ;Sources # Campbell, Thorbjørn (2003). Ayrshire. A Historical Guide. Edinburgh : Birlinn. . # Edwards, Steven (1981). ''Important Woodland sites for Wildlife conservation in Ayrshire.'' Scottish Wildlife Trust. # Love, Dane (2003). ''Ayrshire : Discovering a County. Ayr : Fort Publishing. . # Love, Dane (2006). ''Lost Ayrshire : Ayrshire's Lost Architectural Heritage''. Edinburgh : Birlinn Ltd. . # Stewart, Gordon (2004). ''Old Auchans House, Dundonald.'' Pub. Friends of Dundonald Castle.

External links

The Dundonald Quarry BranchKemp Law Iron Age Vitrified Dun, Dundonald
{{authority control Villages in South Ayrshire Clan Cochrane