Helenton Loch was situated in a low lying area between the farms and dwellings of Helentongate, Mains, and Burnbank in the Parish of

Symington, South Ayrshire Symington is a conservation village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located in Symington parish, covering , and lies close to the A77 road from Ayr to Glasgow. Its church, built in 1160, remains one of the finest examples of a Norman church i ...

, Scotland. The loch was natural, sitting in a hollow, a

kettle hole A kettle (also known as a kettle hole, kettlehole, or pothole) is a depression or hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. The kettles are formed as a result of blocks of dead ice left behind by retreating ...

, created by glaciation. The loch waters ultimately drained via the Pow Burn. Helenton Hill is a prominent landmark to the west of the old loch site. The nearby lands of Rosemount were in 1549 known as 'Goldring' and were the property of the Schaws of Sornbeg.Paterson, Page 746

History

The Loch

The loch is recorded as Ellingtone Loch on Roy's survey of 1747-55, and Elintoun Loch on Blaeu's map of 1654, surveyed by

Timothy Pont Reverend Timothy Pont () was a Scottish minister, cartographer and topographer. He was 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 surve ...

in the early 1600s, with an 'Elintounmur' nearby. Ainslie's map of 1821 records the name 'Helenton'. Aitons map of 1811 records the house and loch clearly and uses the spelling 'Halentoun'. Thomson's map of 1832 shows the loch and a mill pond serving Helenton Mill. Armstrong's Map of 1775 shows a substantial loch bordering the mansion house and wooded policies of Helentoun. The 1857 OS map records only a small loch at the site. The 1860s OS map shows a lane running up to the 'mill pond' or loch remnant from the Helentongate to Helenton Road in the 1860s. The loch was drained to provide land for agriculture and a mill pond substituted. The loch remnant is now a well-drained area in the fields of Helentongate Farm.

Helenton Mill

The loch may have served as the head water for Ellingtone or Helenton Mill which is dated from 1583 in one source and 1549 in another.Paterson, Page 746 Two dams provided the head of water and the fall was around eleven feet powering a breast wheel and driving the two pairs of stones from Kameshill at West Kilbride.Wilson, Page 6 Half a ton of oatmeal per hour was the maximum milling rate. Provender for cattle was produced in addition to oatmeal. The mill had been built for the benefit of the tenants by the Montgomeries of Eglinton and one half of the machinery belonged to the miller. In 1583 William Wallace of Ellerslie held half the mill. In 1875 Adamson records the old corn and saw mill as being ruined when he passes this way when walking from Underhill, crossing the footbridge over the Pow Burn to the mill and then continuing on to the lane to Helentongate and Symington. It had closed in 1858. A Robert Calderwood, aged 68, is shown as living at Helenton Mill in 1841. He was a miller who married Margaret Wilson 1799. The couples children were Elizabeth born Symington, and siblings were born in Craigie - James, Janet, Andrew, Adam, Margaret, Jean, John, William, David, Alexander and Walter who died at Perclewan, Dalrymple in 1903. The OS maps show that a cottage once sat in the field opposite the mill entrance, most probably the miller's dwelling. The mill pond is now an infilled area near Helenton Mote, following the closure of the mill in the late 19th century. A footpath is shown on OS maps as running down from Underhill and then crossing the Pow Burn at the old mill. In 1884, three-quarters of a mile of the Catcraig Road was removed from Helenton Mains to Benacres, thereby truncating the route following the closure of the corn and sawmill at Helenton. Helentongate is recorded as a curling site by the

Royal Caledonian Curling Club The Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC), branded as Scottish Curling is a curling club in Edinburgh, Scotland. It developed the first official rules for the sport, and is the Sport governing body, governing body of curling in Scotland. The RCCC ...

Land ownership

In 1549 Andrew Schaw of Sornbeg is recorded as holding the lands of Goldring (Rosemount), Knockindail, and Helentoun Mains with the mill. Johne Schaw of Polkemmet next held the lands of Helentoun with its tower, mains, mill, and part of the lands of Helentoun Muir. In 1582 John Schaw, son and heir, inherited the five pound lands of Helentoun. He also inherited the lands of Goldring after they had both been held by the King for a period of three years. Helenton was a part of the Lands of Symington until it came to lie within the Barony of Sanquhar-Hamilton, named for the family of Hamilton of Sanquhar.Paterson, Page 748 James Stewart, Earl of Arran held the lands for a time, however they passed to the Wallaces of Craigie and in 1583-4 it is recorded that William Wallace of Ellerslie held the lands of Mains of Helentoun and Bogend, together with the tower, fortalice, and manor place of Helenton, together with half of the mill.Paterson, Page 749 William Wallace of Helenton is recorded as having married Elizabeth Cunningham of Kilmaronok (sic) in the mid 17th century.

Etymology

The derivation of the name is far from clear as 'Helenton' does not appear as a spelling on the maps until the late 16th century, variations of the name 'Ellington' being used by cartographers prior to that date. The village of Ellington in Northumberland may derives its name from the Saxon first name 'Ella'. The Scots word 'Elenge' means remote or lonely. The name 'Pow' or 'Poll' refers to a slow-moving ditch-like stream.

Rev William Auld

The minister at

Mauchline Mauchline (; ) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial. Location The town lies by the Glasgow and South Western Railway ...

Kirk at the time 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 ...

was the somewhat fanatical 'Auld Licht' Rev William 'Daddy' Auld, born at Auld Ellanton or Helenton Farm in 1709. He was the younger son of the Laird of Ellanton (sic), his mother being Margaret Campbell. The poet and

Jean Armour Jean Armour (25 February 1765 – 26 March 1834), also known as the "Belle of Mauchline", was the wife of the poet Robert Burns. She inspired many of his poems and bore him nine children, three of whom survived into adulthood. Biography Born in ...

appeared before him for 'irregular behaviour' and he baptised their eldest son Robert as well as his sister Jean. William Aulds family held a pew within Symington church, shown on the 1797 church seating plan as 'Laird Auld'. His gravestone records that he died aged 81 in the 50th year of his ministry, that his mother was Margaret Campbell and he had an only sister, Jean. He died unmarried. Helenton Mote - north-east

Helenton Motte

A motte or

Moot hill A moot hill or ''mons placiti'' (statute hill) is a hill or mound historically used as an assembly or meeting place, as a moot hall is a meeting or assembly building, also traditionally to decide local issues. In Early Middle Ages, early mediev ...

was located at Helenton, once surmounted by a building and acting as the 'Justice Hill' of the barony of . Smith sees it as a fort with a ditch on the south side but altered in shape due to a lade running close to one side and a road lying on the other.Smith, Page 127

External links

Video and narration on Helenton Motte, Mill and Loch
{{Commons category, Helenton Former lochs Lochs of South Ayrshire History of South Ayrshire Freshwater lochs of Scotland Lakes of South Ayrshire