Kilmaurs

Kilmaurs is a village of about 2,670 inhabitants ( 2004 estimate ) in the administrative district of East Ayrshire in South West Scotland. It is located east of Carmel Water and about three kilometers north of Kilmarnock on the A735.

History

The origins of Kilmaurs lie south of the Carmel Water in a building called Kilmaurs Place, which was not built until around the year 1620. At this point or in the immediate vicinity, however, since the 12th century were several other buildings, such as apartment buildings and fortifications. Even today there are in Kilmaurs a church dating back to 1170. Kilmaurs Place was the seat of the Earls of Glencairn and received Royal Charter ( Certificate of Incorporation ) 1527th

Economy and infrastructure

The main economic activities of Kilmaurs in the 19th and early 20th century were not just agriculture ( grain mills ) the production of knitted fabrics as well as the coal mines in the vicinity. Today, in addition to knitted fabrics mainly dairy products in Kilmaurs be made ​​. Since the sixties Kilmaurs has grown steadily due to the influx of commuters as a suburb of the catchment areas Kilmarnock and Glasgow.

Culture and sights

Kilmaurs Place was built on the site of the now completely disappeared Kilmaurs Castle in the 17th century. Among the former inhabitants belonged to the 9th Earl of Glencairn and Eglinton Montgomerie of. Today Kilmaurs Place is in private ownership, but can be visited by the public park in which it is located.

Near Kilmaurs is Rowallan Castle, which was built in its present form until the early 20th century by the family Corbett. It is in close proximity to the ruins of a castle of the Muirs from the early 16th century.

Personalities

The Scottish physician and biologist John Boyd Orr was born in Kilmaurs. He received the 1949 Nobel Peace Prize.