Martnaham Loch (NS 396 172) is a freshwater loch lying across the border between

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

and

South Ayrshire South Ayrshire (; , ) 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. South Ayrshire had an estimated population in 2021 of 112,45 ...

Council Areas, from Coylton, in the parishes of

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 ...

and Dalrymple, from

Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...

. The loch lies along an axis from northeast to southwest. The remains of a castle lie on a possibly artificial islet within the loch. The Campbells of Loudoun once held the lands, followed by the Kennedys of Cassillis.

History

The loch

Martnaham Loch is a large post-glacial "Kettle Hole" fed by the Sandhill Burn, the Whitehill Burn and an outflow from

Snipe Loch Snipe Loch (NS385173) or Loch Snipe is a freshwater loch. It is situated in a low-lying area close to the B742 road next to Clocaird Farm in the Parish of Coylton, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch lies to the north of Martnaham Loch, 5 miles (7&n ...

which in turn receives water from

Loch Fergus Loch Fergus (NS 3932 1823) is a freshwater post-glacial "Kettle Hole" sometimes recorded as Fergus Loch. It is quite visible and is situated in a low-lying area close to the B742 road between the farms and dwellings of Trees, Lochfergus and Bowma ...

. The loch's outflow is at the south-west end and the Sandhill Burn enters at the north-east end. As stated the outflow from Loch Fergus passes into Snipe Loch, this flow entering between Cloncaird Cottages and Martnaham Lodge. A small islet lies off the eastern lochshore and a promontory, once an island, holds the ruins of the old castle. ;Etymology Martnaham is variously recorded as Martinham, Martnam, Martna, Matuane, and even Mertineton in 1700. The name may be Anglian or Gaelic and any connection with

Saint Ninian Ninian is a Christian saint, first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland. For this reason, he is known as the Apostle to the Southern Picts, and there are numerous dedicatio ...

's tutor,

Saint Martin of Tours Martin of Tours (; 316/3368 November 397) was the third bishop of Tours. He is the patron saint of many communities and organizations across Europe, including France's Third Republic. A native of Pannonia (present-day Hungary), he converted to ...

would be speculation.Campbell, Page 222

Martnaham Castle

The ruins of an old castle built on an island, recorded as Martnam Ynch (sic),Blaeu Map
Retrieved: 2011-06-22 near the centre of the loch are still apparent (NS 3952 1732), the entrance having been from the south side of the loch, formed by a stone embankment or causeway from the land to the island. It is not clear when it was erected. It was inhabited till the 16th century. The remains are of a large building, , and the foundations of an annexe, , were visible to the northeast. The main block is divided into three compartments, and the walls are of mortared rubble masonry, thick, and attain a maximum height of . Architectural features suggest a 16th/17th-century date. A possible rectangular building at the approach to the causeway may indicate the previous presence of a gatehouse. The site has been densely wooded for many years. Martnaham may have been part of a chain of fortalices forming a defensive line, including Drongan and Auchencloigh castles. Love has it as the original seat of

Old King Cole "Old King Cole" is a British nursery rhyme first attested in 1709. Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. It has a Roud Folk Song Index numbe ...

, thereby linking it with nearby

, named after King Cole's opponent and vanquisher.Love, Page 277 Circa 1661 John Bonar, a schoolmaster in Ayr, wrote a poetical description of the local traditions regarding King Cole and states that - The castle was the caput of the old Barony of Martnaham. The site is said to have been besieged in the 1650s. Groome refers to it as ''"ivy-clad ruins of an old mansion house."'' In 1612 John Monipennie noted ''the Loch of Matuane, with a strong tower''. Paterson, writing in the 1860s,Paterson, Page 215 gives some interesting details - ''"Only portions of three gables exist. The walls are not very thick, safety having apparently been chiefly relied upon because of its isolated situation. An artificial causeway, which could have been cut off at pleasure, leads to the ruin, and the island itself is evidently of the same character - being made of forced earth. It is thickly planted with trees, amongst which a colony of crows have continued to brood for ages. The garden is said to have been made of soil brought from France or Ireland, so as to exclude vermin. The Marquis of Ailsa has a shooting and fishing lodge on the banks of the loch, which is well stocked with pike and perch, the latter having been introduced within the last thirty years."'' ;Crannog The Martnaham Castle island and causeway bear the characteristics of an adapted shallow water

crannog A crannog (; ; ) is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually constructed in lakes, bogs and estuary, estuarine waters of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Unlike the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, which were built ...

and associated causeway as found in other Ayrshire lochs such as Lochspouts, Buiston, Lochlea, Loch Brand, and

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 ...

Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897-1909

This survey carried out by James Murray in 1906 shows a maximum depth of in the eastern section, with a depth of around near the old castle and along much of the length of the loch margin. Areas of marshy ground and several inlets are present.

Natural history

Martnaham Loch is a SSSI for the western half of its area. The south-western end of the loch is bordered by mixed woodland. Martnaham has had some notable rarities recorded over the years, such as

smew The smew (''Mergellus albellus'') is a species of duck and is the only living member of the genus ''Mergellus''. ''Mergellus'' is a diminutive of ''Mergus'' and ''albellus'' is from Latin ''albus'' "white". This genus is closely related to ''Me ...

ring-necked duck The ring-necked duck (''Aythya collaris'') is a diving duck from North America commonly found in freshwater ponds and lakes. The scientific name is derived from Greek , an unidentified seabird mentioned by authors including Hesychius and Arist ...

black tern The black tern (''Chlidonias niger'') is a small tern generally found in or near inland water that breeds in Europe, Palearctic, Western Asia and North America. In winter the birds migrate to coastal areas of Africa and South America. Taxonomy T ...

lesser scaup The lesser scaup (''Aythya affinis'') is a small North American diving duck that migrates south as far as Central America in winter. It is colloquially known as the little bluebill or broadbill because of its distinctive blue bill. The origin of ...

and

hobby A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other ...

. Autumn and winter feature visits from flocks of

goldeneye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent James Bond (lit ...

wigeon The wigeons or widgeons are a group of birds, dabbling ducks currently classified in the genus ''Mareca'' along with two other species. There are three extant species of wigeon, in addition to one recently extinct species. Biology There are ...

pochard Pochard is a common name used for several species of diving ducks: *Four species in the genus ''Aythya'': ** Common pochard, ''Aythya ferina'' ** Baer's pochard, ''Aythya baeri'' ** Ferruginous pochard, ''Aythya nyroca'' ** Madagascar pochard, ' ...

and

teal alt=American teal duck (male), Green-winged teal (male) Teal is a greenish-blue color. Its name comes from that of a bird—the Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca'')—which presents a similarly colored stripe on its head. The word is often used ...

Shoveler The shovelers or shovellers are four species of dabbling ducks with long, broad spatula-shaped beaks: * Red shoveler, ''Anas platalea'' * Cape shoveler, ''Anas smithii'' * Australasian shoveler, ''Anas rhynchotis'' * Northern shoveler, ''Ana ...

, scaup,

long-tailed duck The long-tailed duck (''Clangula hyemalis'') or coween, is a medium-sized sea duck that breeds in the tundra and taiga regions of the arctic and winters along the northern coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is the only member of ...

and

gadwall The gadwall (''Mareca strepera'') is a common and widespread dabbling duck in the family Anatidae. Taxonomy The gadwall was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. DNA studies have shown th ...

are commonly seen and

glaucous ''Glaucous'' (, ) is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus''), glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens''), ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

gulls are occasional visitors.

Canada geese The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), sometimes called Canadian goose, is a large species of goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North ...

and

whooper swan The whooper swan ( /ˈhuːpə(ɹ) swɒn/ "hooper swan"; ''Cygnus cygnus''), also known as the common swan, is a large northern hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American trumpeter swan, and the type species for the genu ...

s gather in the surrounding fields. Great crested and

little Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

grebe breed here.

oystercatcher The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family (biology), family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, ''Haematopus''. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and Sout ...

curlew The curlews () are a group of nine species of birds in the genus ''Numenius'', characterised by their long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. The English name is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been infl ...

, redshank,

common sandpiper The common sandpiper (''Actitis hypoleucos'') is a small Palearctic wader. This bird and its Americas, American sister species, the spotted sandpiper (''A. macularia''), make up the genus ''Actitis''. They are parapatric and replace each other ge ...

, whimbrel,

ruff Ruff may refer to: Places *Ruff, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community *Ruff, Washington, United States, an unincorporated community Other uses *Ruff (bird) (''Calidris pugnax'' or ''Philomachus pugnax''), a bird in the wader famil ...

green sandpiper The green sandpiper (''Tringa ochropus'') is a small wader (shorebird) of the Old World. The green sandpiper represents an ancient lineage of the genus ''Tringa''; its only close living relative is the solitary sandpiper (''T. solitaria''). The ...

black-tailed godwit The black-tailed godwit (''Limosa limosa'') is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the godwit genus, '' Limosa''. There are four subspecies, all with orange head, neck and ches ...

, northern wheatear and

whinchat The whinchat (''Saxicola rubetra'') is a small bird migration, migratory passerine bird breeding in Europe and Palearctic, western Asia and wintering in central Africa. At one time considered to be in the thrush family, Turdidae, it is now pla ...

are regular visitors. The loch is botanically-rich loch and Martnaham Wood is one of the largest oak woods in Ayrshire; although it was clear felled in 1914, it has regenerated with little disturbance. The loch exhibits vegetation of submerged, floating and emergent type plant communities. The margin has extensive areas of reed-swamp dominated by common reed. Branched bur-reed, water-plantain, nodding bur-marigold, trifid bur-marigold, greater spearwort, and eight-stamened waterwort are found at the site. In the deeper water white and yellow water-lilies dominate. Canadian pondweed is an invasive plant and is here in abundance. The loch is classed as mesotrophic (moderately nutrient-rich), however it has

eutrophic Eutrophication is a general term describing a process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of organisms that may deplete the oxygen in the water; ie. the process of too many plants growing on the s ...

characteristics.SNH
Retrieved : 2011-06-23 Martinham Wood is well established on the eastern side of the loch, featuring since at least the early 16th century with a fence or pale indicated. As an ancient woodland site Martnaham Wood has a canopy dominated by oak and birch, with abundant hazel in the understorey; sanicle, bluebell and dog’s mercury are common. The woodland exhibits a wide diversity of fungi, mosses and liverworts, including the only Scottish record of the mushroom Mycena picta, once thought to be extinct in Great Britain.

Uses

;Purclewan Mill The outflow at the south-west end was in 1906 built up with stones to divert water into a lade supplying Purclewan Mill. No sluice was present and water flowed down both outflows. William McCandlish and his younger brother Dr James McCandlish were both were born at Purclewan, sons of the hamlets blacksmith. James was a classmate 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 ...

and they were good friends. His father, Henry, lent Burns a copy of ''The Life of Wallace'' which aroused his patriotism. Robert Burns is said to have written his first poem ''"Handsome Nell"'' at the mill based on either

Nelly Blair Nelly Blair, later Nelly Smith (1759–1820) is sometimes suggested as being Scottish poet Robert Burns' first love. The true identity of Nell Burns himself did not identify his 'Handsome Nell' by name. Nelly Kilpatrick has been suggested as bei ...

Nelly Kilpatrick Nelly or Nellie Kilpatrick, Helen Kilpatrick or later Nelly Bone (1759–1820). Nelly (usually short for "Helen") was possibly Robert Burns's first love and muse as stated by Isabella Burns. Early life Nelly is usually used as a nickname for "He ...

(1759–1820) the daughter of the Miller, Alan Kilpatrick, who he may have first met here. The mill has long been abandoned and was last recorded as active in 1911.Dougall, Page 62 The mill was developed as private housing with several additions. ;Martnaham Lodge Martnaham Lodge was originally built as a fishing lodge by the Kennedys, Earls of Cassillis in the 19th century, incorporating an existing cottage. James Edward Shaw, the Ayrshire County Clerk and treasurer, lived at the lodge from 1900 to 1912. Shaw was the author of a book on the social history of Ayrshire. James Edward Hunter enlarged the house for its then tenant, Herbert J. Dunsmuir, in 1929. The Cassillis Estate has sold this now Arts & Crafts inspired manorial dwelling to Mr Dunsmuir in 1945 and it passed to his daughter and Colonel Sir Bryce Knox, his son-in-law.Davis, Page 323 ;Curling and boating In the 19th century Martnaham Loch was used for curling and ice skating. In 2011 the loch was once again safe for ice skating.YouTube
Retrieved : 2011-06-22 Two boat houses are recorded on the western side of the loch on the early OS maps.

Micro-history

A mineral railway ran close to much of the eastern side of the loch serving a colliery in Coylton. Whitehill Tilery wood records the 19th century tileworks that once existed there.

References

;Notes ;Sources # Campbell, Thorbjørn (2003). ''Ayrshire. A Historical Guide''. Edinburgh : Birlinn. . # Cuthbertson, D. C. ''Autumn in Kyle and the Charm of Cunninghame''. London : Herbert Jenkins. # Davis, Michael C. (1991). ''The Castles & Mansions of Ayrshire''. Ardrishaig : spendrift Press. # Dougall, Charles S. (1911). ''The Burns Country''. London: A & C Black. # Groome, Francis H. (1903). ''Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland''. London : Caxton Publishing Company. # Love, Dane (2003). ''Ayrshire : Discovering a County''. Ayr : Fort Publishing. . # Paterson, James (1863–66). ''History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton. I. - I - Kyle''. Edinburgh: J. Stillie. # Salter, Mike (2006). ''The Castles of South-West Scotland''. Malvern : Folly. . # Smith, John (1895). ''Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire''. London : Elliot Stock.

External links

* {{Castles in East Ayrshire Lochs of East Ayrshire Lochs of South Ayrshire History of East Ayrshire History of South Ayrshire Freshwater lochs of Scotland Kettle lakes in the United Kingdom