Author Archives: flowgently

Adele is a big hit at the Auld Kirk

Adele and Louise

Adele and Louise

New Cumnock Liaison Group’s (NLCG) youngest volunteer Adele was a big hit when she joined in with mum Louise, big sister Annabelle and big brother Ewan in the second session of our Auld Kirk clean-up.

Clean up continues

Clean up continues

Later own we were joined by another two young helpers Calum and Thomas, who along with the rest of us battled the midgies as they came out in their droves for an evening snack. A big thank you to my wife Sheena for another star turn and early birthday wishes for tomorrow xx

We're getting there !

We’re getting there !

We’re making good progress …….

Auld Kirk Clean Up Session 1

Clean-up Session 1

Clean-up Session 1

An excellent start to the clean-up sessions with the focus on the inside of the ruins . A big thank you to Mr and Mrs Glendinning, Billy Lees, Sheena and Cameron. Six full bags of litter, leaves and twigs.Cleared wall

Cleared wall

A good few hours work before the midgies came calling !

Auld Kirk

Auld Kirk

Kirkyard Clean-Up

Auld Kirk Clean-up

Auld Kirk Clean-up

We will soon be tendering for the work to be carried out on the Auld Kirk ruins and five family lairs.  With the current spell of decent weather we are looking for volunteers to help with a clean-up of the kirkyard through picking up litter and the sweeping up leaves.Litter graspers, gloves and bags will be provided.

If you have some spare time and would like to help we intend (weather permitting) of having the following clean-up sessions

  • Wednesday 19th June 7pm-8:30pm
  • Thursday 20th June 7pm-8:30pm
  • Saturday 22nd Jun 11am-4pm
  • Sunday 23rd June 11am-4pm

So please if you spare 30 minutes or more or just passing by during a walk over the Knockshinnoch Lagoons then call in, we would be delighted to see you.

Low down on Logo

FRIENDSLOGOWe are delighted to share with you the logo for ‘New Cumnock Heritage‘ designed for us by Muse Design.

The key feature is the intersecting flowing lines which represent the meeting place of the River Nith and Afton Water which lies at the heart of the village of New Cumnock.

Indeed on closer inspection the initials ‘nc‘ are revealed in the symbol. Can you see them?

This confluence of the River Nith and Afton Water is very significant  in our history. For in this vicinity, long before 1650 when the parish of Cumnock was sub-divided into the two new parishes of Old Cumnock and New Cumnock, once stood Cumnock Castle, Cumnock Mill and Cumnock Maynes.  The confluence or meeting of these rivers may well reveal the origin of the place-name Cumnock, from Gaelic comunn achadh ‘meeting place’.

Meeting place of the River Nith and Afton Water

Meeting place of the River Nith and Afton Water

Left: Timothy Pont Manuscript 35 ‘Nithsdale; part of Teviotdale’ (Reproduced by kind permission of the Trustees of the National Library of Scotland)

Friends in New Cumnock Heritage

FRIENDSLOGOThe version of the logo above is for use by the ‘Friends in New Cumnock Heritage’ and our Facebook Page

We believe that a ‘Friends in‘ group gives a much more participative feel than the usual ‘Friends of” groups – and of course we and shorten this to FINCH 🙂

Why not fly along to our Facebook page and join the ‘Friend in New Cumnock Heritage’ …. join here

Auld Kirkyard and Village Heritage Trail

The logo will appear in the Village Heritage Trail and in the Auld Kirkyard leaflets being produced by the Primary School and the Ministers and Soldiers groups.

Logo_Collage

Turning the tables !

Today the tables were turned as I was invited along to New Cumnock Primary School to be interviewed by pupils of Primary 6 on the families they have been researching.

Sharing information

Sharing information

Having collected vital data from the headstones the class visited the Burns Monument Centre (BMC), Kilmarnock a few weeks ago to access vital resources to aid their research.

Each team has since created a ‘spider’ diagram with key information on their subjects spreading out from the centre of their diagram . They prepared questions to be used during our interview with the view to me helping them fill in some the gaps.

The interviews were conducted in a very professional manner and began with introductions and a polite request to ask questions. With 10 interviews we had to work to a five minute schedule per interview and while one team asked the questions with microphone in hand, there was excellent team-work on show when a member of another team took control of the video.

Bank House - Home of the Hyslop Family

Bank House – Home of the Hyslop Family

Many of  the questions clearly demonstrated great ownership of their chosen subject and the development of their research from the day at the kirkyard to the visit to the BMC. During the interview team members took the opportunity to show some of the records and the photos they had brought from their day at Kilmarnock.

Hopefully I was able to fill some of the gaps, including a promise to forward more specific information, and add to their ‘spider’ diagram. Certainly, the process helped fill gaps in my knowledge and yet again I thoroughly enjoyed another rewarding day with Primary 6 – thank you for a great day!

Finally, look out BBC Scotland, ….. 10/10 for interviewing skills at New Cumnock Primary School.

From recording to researching

Following on collating data from headstones of ministers and soldiers buried or remembered in the Auld Kirkyard a trip to the Burns Monument Centre, Kilmarnock was arranged to access their wide range of resources.

Scotland’s People

Mary and Ian check out Scotland's People

Mary and Ian check out Scotland’s People

  • Old Parish Records – baptism records from 1706 are available for the parish of New Cumnock
  • Birth, Marriages and Death from Statutory Records from 1955 onwards
  • Census Records -1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911

Newspaper Archives

Helen and Mattie reel through the Cumnock Chronicles

Helen and Mattie reel through the Cumnock Chronicles

  • The BMC hold numerous Newspaper reels with of course the Cumnock Chronicle the paper of choice

Archives

Archivist Christine gives an overview of the archives

Archivist Christine gives an overview of the archives

  • Our focus was on Ayr Presbytery Records and ministers of the parish of New Cumnock
  • Here is a snippet from the record of Reverend James Young and his ordination on 3rd May 1758.

Reverend James Young ordination record

Reverend James Young ordination record

Thank you to all at Burns Monument Centre, Kilmarnock for another fascinating day.

  • Why not pay them a visit here

School (trail) blazers

Primary 6 at the New Cumnock Mural

Primary 6 at the New Cumnock Mural

New Cumnock Primary School blazed a trail for other schools outwith the Kilmarnock area with a visit to the marvellous Burns Monument Centre (BMC). Heritage Services officer Ross McGregor said: “It’s the first time a school outside the Kilmarnock area has travelled to visit the BMC. The children have been able to look into our archives and handle very old texts, maps and photos in this wonderful setting”.

Follow their fantastic day on the Burns Monument Centre here

School on the Discovery Trail

As part of the ‘Auld Kirk and Village Heritage Trail’ project pupils from Primary 6 of New Cumnock Primary School began their research into ten family lairs in the Auld Kirkyard. Class teacher Allison Smith, two parent helpers and twenty-four pupils along with project leader Bobby Guthrie headed along the Castle to the kirkyard.

On our way along the Castle

On our way along the Castle

Up and down the Castehill

Up and down the Castehill

Altogether in the Auld Kirkyard

Altogether in the Auld Kirkyard

  • The pupils were divided into ten teams and each assigned with a Lair Number, a map of the lairs and a record sheet to note names, dates, places and occupations.
Organising research teams

Organising research teams

  • Having found their lair, and checked it was the correct one, teamwork took over as information was read out and recorded.

aa_collage01

  • After a much needed snack( in the biting cold wind!) each team in turn shared the information they had recorded with the others teams as we went from lair to lair. Great teamwork again as everyone took a turn and supported each other. Bobby also shared other information he knew about the families.
Sharing our Findings

Sharing our Findings

  • Here are the families we researched
Our ten families

Our ten families

Visiting sites

Visiting sites

  • On the way back to school we noted points of interests associated with the families we selected. Above, we went over the bridge that crossed the mill-lead which run from the Old Mill where the McKnight family. Below, we stopped at the Mural which shows farmers and miners at work, as well as Robert Burns who included a verse in one of his poems about the Reverend James Young .
New Cumnock Mural

New Cumnock Mural

  • Back to School , where Bobby was back in the same Primary 6 classroom he was in  many years ago, when Mrs MacSween was his teacher!
Back to School

Back to School

  •  You can find more photos of our trip here

WHAT NEXT?

  • In early May the class will visit the Burns Monument Centre Kilmarnock to continue our research into the family trees  the our ten families. We’ll keep you posted!

Headstone Hunting

With the snow and its accompanying biting wind of recent weeks abating this bright Sunday afternoon proved to be a perfect time to visit the Auld Kirkyard. Members of the New Cumnock Parish Church , New Cumnock History Club and New Cumnock Liaison Group joined together in their mission to seek out the headstones of ministers and soldiers resting or remembered here. Our ‘Time Team’s’ activity soon attracted the attention of a passer-bye out enjoying one of the many lovely local walks and soon we had another pair of hands and eyes to help us in our cause.

Time Team

Time Team

We split into three groups, each one armed with a sketch map of numbered lairs and set off to locate the headstones, note their condition and photograph them.

Planning the route

Planning the route

Off we go

Off we go

Taking note

Taking note

soldiersministers4

Who have we here?

Are you sure this is the right one?

Our minister with two of her predecessors

Our minister with two of her predecessors

Far flung corners

Far flung corners

Getting there

Successful conclusion

Successful conclusion

We successfully tracked down the headstones of six ministers and sixteen soldiers, somequicker than others. Many were legible while some were damaged or overturned but each made us stop and think.

Why we are here

Why we are here

During our search, other headstones caught the eye, carrying the surname or a farm name that whetted our appetite for further visits to our Auld Kirkyard.