Beith

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This article is about the Scottish town. For the letter of the Ogham alphabet, see Beith (letter).
Beith
Population6,346 [1] (2001 census)
est. 6,210[2] (2006)
OS grid referenceNS349542
• Edinburgh67 miles
• London424 miles
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBEITH
Postcode districtKA15
Dialling code01505
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland

Beith is a small town situated in the Garnock Valley in North Ayrshire, Scotland approximately 20-miles south-west of Glasgow. The town is situated on the crest of a hill, known originally as the "Hill o' Beith" or hill of the Birches, and commands a fine and extensive view of the countryside around, including Kilbirnie Loch.

History

Beith Auld Kirk and The Cross

Beith's name is thought to emanate from Ogham, which is sometimes referred to as the "Celtic Tree Alphabet", ascribing names of trees to individual letters. Beithe in Old Irish means Birch-tree (cognate to Latin betula). There is reason to believe that the whole of the district was covered with woods.

Saint Inan

Beith was the occasional residence of Saint Inan, a confessor of some celebrity, whose principal place of abode was Irvine. He flourished about 839. Although he is said to have been a hermit[3], according to tradition Saint Inan often visited Beith, frequenting Cuff Hill with its Rocking Stone and various other prehistoric monuments. A cleft in the west-front of Lochlands Hill is still known as "St. Inan's Chair" and said to have been used by the saint as a pulpit[4]. An unsuccessful search for the saint's writings which were said to be preserved in the library of Bonci, Archbishop of Pisa, was made by Colonel Mure of Caldwell in the 19th-century[5].

Saint Inan is said to have preached to the assembled people from the chair on the hill. There was not a great population in the area at that time and the people were located not in Beith, but up on the top of the Bigholm near to the old Beith water dams. The first settlements were in the heavily wooded areas around the dams where people were safe from attack and could get food from the land, and fish in the lochs. The Saints of old went where the people were, and they also tended to go where there had been worship of heathen Gods. It has been suggested that High Bogside Farm, which used to be called Bellsgrove, was really “Baalsgrove”, which fits in with the story of Saint Inan going to where the pagan gods were.[6]

There is an annual civic fete held in the town bearing Saint Inan's name.

Alexander Montgomerie

The sixteenth century poet Alexander Montgomerie was born in Hazelhead (now Hessilhead) Castle, which is on the outskirts of Beith, beyond Gateside. Montgomerie is regarded as one of the finest of Middle Scots poets, and perhaps the greatest Scottish exponent of the sonnet form.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).

Rev. John Witherspoon

One of Beith's various claims to fame is that a signatory of the American Declaration of Independence, the Rev. John Witherspoon, was a former minister of one its Church of Scotland parishes between 1745 - 1757.[7] [8] In 1745 he led the men of Beith to Glasgow to defend King George III against the Young Pretender in the '45 rebellion. Despite receiving orders to return to Beith, Witherspoon carried on, was captured at the Battle of Falkirk and imprisoned for a time in Doune Castle.[7] He later emigrated and became a member of the US congress and in July 1776 he voted for the Resolution for Independence. In answer to an objection that the country was not yet ready for independence, according to tradition, he replied that it "was not only ripe for the measure, but in danger of rotting for the want of it."[9] Witherspoon was also the sixth president of Princeton University and showed great commitment to liberal education and republican government.[10] He died in 1794 on his farm "Tusculum," just outside of Princeton, and is buried in the Princeton Cemetery. His direct descendants include actress Reese Witherspoon, and he is commemmorated by statues in Washington D.C.,[9] at the University of the West of Scotland in Paisley, and a plaque in Beith town centre.

Morrishill and James Montgomery

Now a small housing estate, the house and land of Morrishill stood a short distance south of Beith. It commanded an excellent view and was well sheltered with trees. Owned by Robert Shedden, who purchased the land in 1748 [11], it is notoriously linked to the case of James Montgomery.

James Montgomery, an enslaved African, was brought from Virginia to Beith by Sheddan. He wanted Montgomery, then called "Shanker", apprenticed to a joiner so that he would learn a skill and could then be sold for a large profit back in Virginia. When Shanker decided to be baptised in Beith Parish Church with the name James Montgomery in April 1756, Sheddan objected. Montgomery was dragged to Port Glasgow behind horses to be taken back to Virginia but escaped to Edinburgh before the ship sailed. Montgomery sought justice but before a decision could be made by judges he died in Tolbooth Gaol.

The practice of owning people did not become common in Britain and it was a result a number of contradictory legal decisions made, that raised the question of the rights of the enslaved, as well as the legal right to own people in Britain. The outcomes of these cases also influenced the abolition movement.[12]

Smugglers

Beith has a historical connection to smuggling and built a reputation during the 18th centrury as being a town which harboured those whose intentions were not always lawful. In 1733 forty or fifty Beith smugglers sacked the Irvine Customs House, escaping with a rich booty of confiscated contraband goods [7] and by 1789 a company of 76 soldiers were quartered in the town dealing with the continuing illicit trade in tea, tobacco, and spirits. This caused great inconvenience to the law-abiding citizens on whom the soldiers were billeted. The town was policed in this fashion for some time thereafter. Hence, the Main Street's popular public house is still called the Smugglers Arms, recalling the days when Beith's location between the coast and Paisley and Glasgow, made it a convenient stopping off point for those involved in nefarious activities.[13]

Dr. Henry Faulds

Dr Henry Faulds, the originator of the concept of forensic use of fingerprinting, was born in Beith in 1843. A well-travelled man, he explained the suitability of fingerprinting for the identification of criminals and also wrote to Charles Darwin to forward his ideas. Unfortunately the letter was never published and he died in 1930, aged 86, bitter at the lack of recognition he had received for his work. His work in Japan is remembered by a memorial stone in Tokyo Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).. In addition, a small stone memorial dedicated to his memory was unvieled in the centre of Beith in 1984 and, in 2007, a memorial was also placed in view in Woolstanton near to St Margaret's churchyard, where he was laid to rest. [14]

Beith Today

Today Beith is a dormitory town with a reputation as a friendly and welcoming place in which to work, live and socialise. In 1966 a local survey estimated that 48% of the population worked outside the town whilst today the figure is more likely to be around 80%. The current population is around 7,000 helped by the completion of ten private housing estates dating from 1966 to the present and by redevelopment of sites within the town. The town has an abundance of social organisations for everyone and there are excellent transport links to Glasgow.[15]

Deprivation and Regeneration

North Ayrshire is ranked 5th highest in Scotland in terms of percentage of the population living in the most deprived areas. These areas have been targetted for regeneration by the local authority. This involves the targetting of activity and resources by the community planning partnership in relation to housing, crime, income, employment, health, skills & training and access to services.

A small area of Beith is one of three regeneration areas in the Garnock Valley. These are the smallest regeneration areas in Ayrshire. This is partly because rural deprivation tends to be less geographically concentrated than urban deprivation, and so it remains more hidden, being experienced by individuals and households rather than the larger communities.[16] The area of Beith targetted for regeneration amounts to 359 households and 635 people (approximately 10% of Beith's population).[17]

Industry

Furniture Making

From 1845 until the 1980’s Beith had the honour of being the most important furniture-manufacturing town in Scotland with a reputation for high-quality furniture. The origins of the industry can be traced back to Mathew Dale who started by making hand-built furniture for local people in 1845. An former employee of Dale, Matthew Pollock progressed the manufacturing by introducting machinery in a factory setting 3-miles outside of the town at Beith North railway station. After approximately 12-years Pollock and his brothers, sold the factory to Robert Balfour, and moved into the town to expand their business. Unfortunately Balfour suffered the same problems as the Pollock Brothers in being unable to attract workers from the town to walk the 3-miles to work. In 1872 he built a factory near the Beith Town railway station and persuaded the railway company to build a siding to allow easy transportation of raw materials and finished products.

The industry expanded across the local area making it a centre of excellence in furniture manufacturing and building it’s reputation throughout the world. In the late 1920’s transportation switched away from the railway but the industry continued to burgeon with many companies producing high-quality furniture; McNeil Bros, specialised in board room and library fittings, Stevenson and Higgins made lift cages, which were fitted in many hotels and department stores, Balfours were for a number of years the main manufacturers of mantlepieces in Scotland, some were designed in the elegant style, and required the expert skill of woodcarvers. Matthew Pollock Ltd supplied furniture to both the RMS Queen Mary and the RMS Queen Elizabeth II.

Unfortunately furniture is no longer produced in Beith due to the closure of the various manufacturing firms. The closures were caused by a multitude of problems such as the state of the economy and an inability to compete with self-assembly furniture firms and their increase in popularity. The last big furniture manufacturer to close was Beithcraft (formerly Balfours) which finished in 1983 (after a major fire a few years earlier that destroyed large sections of the plant) with the loss of 420 jobs. With this final closure came the end of the Beith reputation for being one of the main furniture manufacturing centres in the country.[18]

This history of carpentry is remembered in the nickname of the local football team, Beith Juniors, who are commonly referred to as "The Cabes" (Cabinet Makers).

Armaments

Commonly referred by locals as "the Admiralty", the Royal Navy continues to maintain an armament depot, RNAD-DM Beith, in the area. As part of Ministry of Defence reorganisation plans in 2005, the 360 posts at DM-Beith were cut by 60. This was attributed to changes in the way equipment and supplies were stored and distributed, and it was hoped that it would reduce costs by £50m a year by 2010. [19]

Regional Industries

Historically in recent times, the major employers in the area were the Glengarnock Steelworks and the Linwood car manufacturing plant. Outwith the furniture industry, a large proportion of the local population were employed within these industries. At it's peak, the local Steelworks had 3,000 employees, but by the time it closed in 1985 it had been reduced to 200.[20] The Linwood car plant manufactured the Hillman Imp, a competitor to BMC's Mini, and provided up to 9,000 jobs during peak production but was closed by Peugeot-Citroen in 1981.[21] It has been estimated that 13,000 workers were left jobless in the region as both direct and indirect consequences of the Linwood closure.

Town Landmarks

The Auld Kirk

The Auld Kirk

The Beith Auld Kirk started out as a parish church in the form of a cross way back in 1593, built in dedication to Saint Inan. The church got a bell tower and clock in 1800. The old bell still stands, and bears the following inscription: “This bell was given by Hew Montgomerie, sone of Hessilhead, anno 1614, and refounded by the Heritors of Beith, anno 1734″. The kirk had been built in a rather precarious position on a cliff-side, and from 1807-10 it was rebuilt a little further up the hill as the new Parish Church. The Heritors then moved the older portions of the Auld Kirk to the new one, leaving only the front door and the clock and the belfry. There wasn’t much left of the old kirk after that, and it came to be used as a burial ground for the Woodside family. Later on, however, it was closed for further burials and partly renovated, with the old high wall replaced by railings and paths dugs over the ground. Presently, there are no sepulchers left standing of the old baronial families, and the earliest graves date back only till 1710.

There are a number of memorials to the Spier [22] [23] [24] and Dobie [25] families within the grounds of the Auld Kirk, and also a memorial to Robert Patrick of Hazelhead (Inspector General of Army Hospitals) [26]. A sundial dating from the 1840's is also visible, [27] and a stone coat of arms thought to originate from the Auld Kirk manse can be seen nearby, in Reform Street [28]

The Town House

Beith’s townhouse was built by public subscription in 1817; the lower part of the building originally consisted of two shops, one of which was an ironmongers operated by George B Inglis from 1862 until around 1900. There was also a small room where prisoners were kept prior to their appearance in the upper hall which was used as a JP Court, Sheriff Small Debt Circuit Court and as a public meeting room.[29]

Places of Worship

Beith hosts two listed 19th century Beith Parish Churches of the Church of Scotland, and the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.


Scapa Cottage

Scapa Cottage is known locally as "Dummy Cottage". The entire outside of the sandstone building is indented with marks [30] giving it a most unusual appearance; in earlier years it was a Toll House. A deaf-and-dumb young man lived in the cottage in earlier times, hence the acquired name "Dummy Cottage," an unacceptable term today.[31]

Local Landmarks

Spier's school

Spier's School
Spier's school stones

Spier's (pron. Speers) school stood on the Barmill Road near the old Marshalland Farm. It was built Mrs Margaret Spier of the Marshalland and Cuff estate in 1887 to commemorate John Spier, her son, who had died at the tender age of 28. The school started as a fee paying day and boarding school, becoming part of the county education system in 1937. Following the construction of Garnock Academy, Spier's school closed in 1973 and the buildings were demolished in 1984.

The 16 acres (65,000 m2) of woodland and gardens remain a popular site for dog walkers, bird watchers, and those out to enjoy the rural surroundings. There are a number of memorials to the Spier's family in the Auld Kirk grounds and in the local area.[22] [23] [24]


Geilsland House

Geilsland House

William Fulton Love, writer and bank agent in Beith, built Geilsland House and developed this small estate near Gateside in the 19th-century although the deeds go back to the 17th-century.[32] Geilsland is a special school, run by the Church of Scotland as part of it's CrossReach[33] initiative.[34]

Crummock House

This mansion house and estate stood on the outskirts of Beith in an area now cut through by the main Dalry to Glasgow road. James Dobie, the historian and author, [35] and his family lived there in the 19th centrury. Now demolished, some boundary walls and a cottage remain. A plaque remembering James Dobie resides in Beith Auld Kirk.[36]

The Court Hill

The Court Hill is near Hill of Beith, Gateside, in the old Barony of Beith. Dobie states that this is the moot hill on which the Abbot of Kilwinning used to administer justice to his vassals & tenants. It is a sub-oval, flat-topped mound, situated at the foot of a small valley [37]. A number of large stones are visible in the sides of the mound. It is turf-covered, probably situated on a low outcrop, and is mostly an artificial work.[38] Pre-dating the channelling of the burn which detours around it, the mound was probably isolated in this once marshy outflow of the former Boghall Loch (see NS35SE 14).[39]

In the 12th century the Barony of Beith was given to the Tironensian monks of Kilwinning Abbey by the wife of Sir Richard de Morville. The farm or Grange of the monks is indicated by the name Grange Hill and a castellated tower indicated as once existing at this site may have been the local dwelling of the Abbot of Kilwinning when he was visiting the barony to deliver justice at the Court Hill or attend to other business. No clear remains have been found of the tower or grange buildings.[40]

Beith Rocking Stone

The Beith Rocking Stone, weighing 11 tons, sits on top of Cuff Hill.[41]

According to local folklore, Saint Inan frequented the stone, that legend states rocked from side-to-side on a balance point.

Social and cultural life

Saint Inan's Fete

There is an annual celebration that parades through the town each summer. It normally commences outside the town's Community Centre, going through the town and ending in the grounds of the Primary School for the Fete in the afternoon. A gala dance is normally held in the evening.

Friends of Spiers (FoS)

Spier's Commemorative Wall

This is a Garnock Valley support group, affiliated to the British Trust For Conservation Volunteers (BTCV), which works with the Spier's Trust, North Ayrshire Council Ranger Service, Beith Cultural & Heritage Society, Youth Making Beith Better (YMBB) and others to further the development and maintenance of the Spier's Parkland.

FoS encourages other groups to become involved at Spier's through membership, carrying out conservation projects; biodiversity enhancement initiatives; photographic and other surveys; as well as arranging events and furthering the educational and ecotherapeutic uses of the Spiers woodlands and open spaces. The first substantial sign of the regeneration of the site was the construction of the Spier's Commemorative Wall, erected in 2010.

Youth Making Beith Better (YMBB)

Members of YMBB working at Spier's Old School Grounds.

The YMBB youth group was set up by members of the community to give the young people of Beith and district an opportunity to involve themselves in improving their town and the area around, whilst at the same time providing a forum for learning additional skills, making new friends, etc. The group is closely involved with the Saint Inan's parade and other local events.

YMBB meet in the Beith Community Centre twice a week and they are supervised by adults from the NAC Youth Services. The YMBB committee includes youth members, adults from the community and local councillors who help in the overview of the group, forward planning, etc.

YMBB members are frequently featured in local online newspapers, traditional newspapers, etc and a have a long term committment at the Spier's Old School Grounds on Barrmill Road, working towards the stages of the John Muir Trust Awards. YMBB have set up a number of geocaches to encourage locals and visitors to go out and visit local beauty spots and sites of interest.


Local Pubs and Hostelries

  • The Anderson Hotel
  • The Caledonian Inn
  • The Eglinton Inn
  • The Gateside Inn
  • The Masonic Arms
  • The Saracen's Head Hotel
  • The Smuggler's Arms

Transport

The site of the old Beith North "Low" railway station.

The town was once served by two railway stations: Beith North, commonly referred to as "the Low station" and Beith Town. Beith North closed in 1951 and the the Town station closed in 1962. The nearest station is just over 2 miles away, at Glengarnock[42] which provides direct rail links to Glasgow Central station and services to the Clyde coast and Glasgow Prestwick airport.

Beith is approximately 13 miles south of Glasgow International Airport, 21 miles north of Glasgow Prestwick airport and 60 miles east of Edinburgh airport.

Liesure and Sport

  • The local football team, Beith Juniors, formed in 1938, to succeed Beith who had played in the Scottish Football League. The team currently (2010) participate in the SJFA West of Scotland, Super League Premier Division and play their home games at Bellsdale Park, which is famous for it's slope. The club's most famous former player is Steve Clarke, who went on to play for Saint Mirren and Chelsea. He is currently (2010) assistant first team coach at West Ham United.
  • Beith's only rugby football club, Old Spierians was amalgamated, along with Dalry High School FP into Garnock RFC in 1972 when Spier's School, Dalry High, Kilbirnie Central and Beith Academy schools were closed to form Garnock Academy. The Old Spierians club had been founded in the early years of the 20th century and joined the Scottish Rugby Union in 1911. Garnock play their home games at Lochshore on the banks of Kilbirnie Loch and currently (2010) participate in the Scottish Hydro Premier League 3.
  • Beith also has its own 18-hole, 68-par golf course.
  • The town's George cinema was put up for sale in the autumn of 1982, but a surprisingly good run of E.T. over that Christmas period helped keep it open until the following summer. It finally closed on 25 June 1983 for conversion to a snooker club, although the building has since been demolished.[43]

Gallery & Other Images

  • House next to Beith High Church.
    House next to Beith High Church.
  • A sundial recording the donation of the Beith War Memorial plot by Lady Cochran-Patrick of Ladyland and Mosside.
    A sundial recording the donation of the Beith War Memorial plot by Lady Cochran-Patrick of Ladyland and Mosside.
  • War memorial
    War memorial

See also

References

  1. ^ "Comparative Population Profile: Beith Locality". Scotland's Census Results Online. 2001-04-29. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  2. ^ http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data
  3. ^ Scottish Saints
  4. ^ Smith, John (1895). Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire. Pub. Elliot Stock. P. 83.
  5. ^ Dobie, James (1876) Cunninghame topographised by Timothy Pont Pub. John Tweed, Glasgow. P. 41.
  6. ^ Beith Online. Jenny Kerr
  7. ^ a b c S1 Beith Bygones -Sacking Irvine Customs House (Donald L Reid's local history book, BEITH BYGONES, published in 2003)
  8. ^ US History.org - Declaration of Independence Signatories
  9. ^ a b Spiritus Temporis - John Witherspoon
  10. ^ Witherspoon Institute
  11. ^ History of the counties of Ayr & Wigton Scotland: Cunninghame, by James Patterson. ISBN 0-7884-1791-6
  12. ^ Scotland and the Slave Trade – 2007 Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act. ISBN 978-0-7559-5325-7
  13. ^ S1 Beith Bygones -Smugglers (Donald L Reid's local history book, BEITH BYGONES, published in 2003)
  14. ^ BBC Historic Figures - Henry Faulds
  15. ^ S1 Beith Bygones -Beith Today (Donald L Reid's local history book, BEITH BYGONES, published in 2003)
  16. ^ North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership - Regeneration Area Profiles
  17. ^ North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership - Beith Regeneration Area
  18. ^ History of the Furniture Industry
  19. ^ BBC News Scotland - Jobs to go at munitions centres
  20. ^ Clydebridge Steelworks History
  21. ^ BBC Education (Scotland) Social Change
  22. ^ a b John Spier's Auld Kirk memorial
  23. ^ a b John Spier's memorial
  24. ^ a b Memorial to John Spier's wife
  25. ^ James Dobie Auld Kirk memorial
  26. ^ Robert Patrick Auld Kirk memorial
  27. ^ Auld Kirk sundial
  28. ^ Auld Kirk manse coat of arms
  29. ^ The Beith Townhouse
  30. ^ Scapa Cottage Markings
  31. ^ Details of Scapa Cottage
  32. ^ Dobie, James (1876). Cuninghame topographised by Timothy Pont. Pub. J.Tweed. Edinburgh. P. 214.
  33. ^ CrossReach - Social Care Agency
  34. ^ Geilsland school
  35. ^ Dobie, James D. (ed Dobie, J.S.) (1876). Cunninghame, Topographized by Timothy Pont 1604–1608, with continuations and illustrative notices. Pub. Glasgow: John Tweed.
  36. ^ Dobie Memorial Plaque
  37. ^ Beith Court Hill
  38. ^ Beith Court Hill mound
  39. ^ RCAHMS Canmore archaeology site
  40. ^ Hall, Page 135
  41. ^ The Cuff Hill Rocking Stone
  42. ^ Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  43. ^ Associated GP Cinemas

External links

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