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Coordinates: 55°32′N 4°40′W / 55.54°N 4.66°W
| Troon | |
  Troon
Troon shown within Scotland |
|
| Population | 14,766 (2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Council area | South Ayrshire |
| Lieutenancy area | Ayrshire and Arran |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Troon |
| Postcode district | KA10 |
| Dialling code | 01292 |
| Police | Strathclyde |
| Fire | Strathclyde |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Central Ayrshire |
| Scottish Parliament | Ayr |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is situated on the west coast, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services — the P&O Express to Larne and a yacht marina. In May 2006, a ferry service to Campbeltown was added.
In the 2001 census the population of Troon, not including the nearby village of Loans but including the Barassie area, was estimated at 14,766 — a 4.77% increase on the 1991 estimate of 14,094 [1].
Contents |
History
The name 'Troon' is derived from the Gaelic An t-Sron, meaning 'The Nose' or 'The bill' and a look at a map shows how it got this name. This could equally, however, have derived from Old Welsh. In various deeds, the spelling is given as "Trune", "Trone", "Truyn", and "Trwyn". Nevertheless, the Scots Gaelic etymology is consistent with that of Stranraer (An t-Sròn Reamhar - The Fat Nose) located further south on the coast.[2]
Troon is famous for its Royal Troon golf course, one of the hosts to the Open Golf Championship. The course is chosen to host this annual event roughly every seven years.
Troon Harbour played a notable part in the development of the town for many years. It was home to the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company, which constructed many vessels for worldwide customers but mainly small passenger and various merchant vessels. The fishing fleet from Ayr moved to Troon Harbour and a revitalisation of the abandoned section of the harbour started. An approach road was constructed to connect to a P&O terminal which operates a service to Ireland. The Seacat high speed ferry service briefly operated from Troon Harbour but has now ended.
Troon Harbour is now a fishing port, yachting marina, seasonal passenger ferry port and Ro-Ro ferry terminal for timber and containers. The shipbuilding industry at Troon Harbour ended in 2000 [3].
The town is served by Troon railway station. Troon has its own secondary school, Marr College.
Troon is also the birthplace of C.K. Marr, who left a considerable fortune upon death to the people of Troon.[4]
SeaCat service
SeaCat were most notable for opening Troon as a passenger harbour back in 1999. They were followed by P&O Irish Sea in 2003. SeaCat closed the following year in 2004. As P&O operate a catameran as their passenger ship, the term 'SeaCat' is often used to refer to the P&O service.
The former SeaCat terminal is still fenced off and is currently used as log storage.
Notable residents
- Colin Montgomerie, golfer[citation needed]
- Andrew Cotter, BBC Sports Broadcaster[citation needed]
- Alan Hutton, footballer[citation needed]
- Richard McTaggart, boxer[citation needed]
- Ronni Ancona, actress[citation needed]
- Brian Whittle, athlete
- Steve Nicol, footballer
- Johnny Adair, loyalist paramilitary and former member of the Ulster Defence Association/Ulster Freedom Fighters[5]
Fullarton House
Fullarton House was built by William Fullarton of that Ilk in 1745 and altered by his son, however it was demolished in 1966 by the council who had been unable to maintain the building after purchasing it in 1928.
The entrance route had been changed by the Duke of Portland and the house design altered so that the back became the front, with grand views opened up of the Isle of Arran and Firth of Clyde.[6] After centuries of occupation the Fullarton lines possession had thus come to an end when the Duke of Portland purchased the property in 1805. He lived here for a while as his principal residence in Scotland, however he had a greater interest in developing Troon harbour and the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway.
The grounds are now a park with some signs of the old house still apparent, such as the magnificent stable block, the ornamental pediments, walled gardens, doocot and an ice house.[7]
The Fullarton family
The name is thought to come from the office of 'Fowler to the King', the purpose of which was to supply wild-fowl to the King as required. The dwelling which came with the post was called Fowlertoun and the family may have eventually adopted the name. The Fullarton's of Angus had been required by Robert I to supply him with wild-fowl at his castle of Forfar.[8]
Alanus de Fowlertoun was in possession of the lands shortly before his death in 1280 and the family continued in a nearly unbroken line from father to son. William Fullarton, the builder of the house, inherited the estate from his grandfather in 1710, he having inherited it from his brother in turn. Colonel Fullarton died in 1808, the last Fullarton of that Ilk laird.[9] He wrote in 1793 the seminal A General View of the Agriculture in the County of Ayr and was one of the few on record to praise Robert Burns's skills as a farmer, commenting favourably on a method of dishorning cattle which the poet had demonstrated. Burns is said to have visited Fullarton.[10]
The Fullarton grotto and stables
 The old Fullarton grotto. |
 Alcoves in the old grotto. |
 The courtyard of Fullarton stables. |
 The Robert Adam designed Fullarton stables. |
Crosbie Castle
Robert II granted the old Crosbie estate to the Fullartons in 1344 and by the 18th century the old castle was partly demolished and converted into an ice house for Fullarton House, with a doocot nearby.[11] In 1969 more of the ice house was demolished to make it safe. The building had been known as Crosby Place and later became Fullarton House, not long before the new building of the same name replaced it.[12]
Over the centuries the castle was rebuilt three times, in the same typical square design as seen at Dundonald Castle. The remains today mainly represent the Castle's dungeon. Many of Crosbie Castle's stones were used in the construction of the first Fullarton House. The dungeon, had an underground stream, making it the ideal cold storage cellar or ice house.[13]
 A corner of the old castle walls. |
 Marriage stone of William Fullarton and Anne Brisbane. |
 The old Ice House constructed from the ruins of Crosbie Castle. |
 The old entrance and spiral staircase at the Ice House / Crosbie Castle. |
Crosbie church and cemetery
First recorded in 1229, the present structure dates from 1691. Tradition claims that the roof blew off on the day in 1759 that Robert Burns was born and it was left to become a ruin. One of the graves is that off David Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, son of, James, alleged assassin of the Regent Moray, bastard son of James V. This event occurred in 1570 and David died in 1619. David Fullarton of that Ilk had married David's sister.[14]
Constructed on the site of the original chapel, the name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word 'Crossbye', signifying the dwelling of the cross; a fairly common placename. The cemetery dates from circa 1240 and was held in secular times by Fullarton of Crosbie in the 14th century after being passed on from relatives. Records indicate that this ground was used by a holy order before the Fullartons arrived in the area.[15] The chapelry of Crosbie, together with that of Richardstoun (Riccartoun) were attached to Dundonald and were granted by the second Walter Stewart to the short lived Gilbertine Convent which he had founded at Dalmulin in 1238. The convent was dis-established in 1238 and the chapel passed to the monks of Paisley Abbey.[16]
The cemetery was the burial ground for Troon until 1862 and family lairs were still in use until after the First World War. One the other side of the road, the remains of the church manse can still be seen (2009). The 'Wrack Road' was the Fullarton Estate estate road used by tenants who took their carts down to the shore to collect seaweed or wrack as fertilizer and it was the main road from Troon for funerals going to Crosbie.[17]
Janet McFadzean was buried in Crosbie cemetery in 1761 and the front of her tombstone reads: Here lyes the corps of Janet McFadzean, Spous of William McFadzean, Quarter-Master Sergean in Lovetenan General Homs Regiment of Sol., who died August 22, 1761, aged 27 years.
The reverse side reads:
|
Twenty-four years i lived a maiden life, |
Views of the cemetery
 Crosbie church gates. |
 Church and cemetery. |
 David Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh's gravestone. |
 The inscription on David Hamilton's gravestone. |
An epistle by John Laing suggests that Crosbie Kirk is haunted:
|
But sir, sin' I maun let you know An' comin' hame, the truth to tell, Deed Sir, I've often heard it tell, |
Further reading
- McPherson, I (2000) Old Troon
- Wylie, Stewart C. and Wilson, James (1991) Troon in Old Picture Postcards
- MacIntosh, I.M. (1969) Old Troon
References
Notes
- ^ General Register Office for Scotland
- ^ I.M. McIntosh, Old Troon, 1969
- ^ Visit Ayrshire and Arran: Troon Harbour and Marina
- ^ Marr Educational Resources Centre
- ^ 'I'm no threat to anyone.' Why the war is over for Mad Dog Adair — The Guardian newspaper article, 19 February 2006.
- ^ Millar, Page 80
- ^ Love, Page 225.
- ^ Millar, Page 80
- ^ Millar, Page 80
- ^ Dougall, Page 230.
- ^ Love (2003), Page 225
- ^ Millar, Page 80
- ^ Troon History
- ^ Love(2003), Page 225.
- ^ Troon History
- ^ Paterson, Page 422
- ^ Troon History
Sources
- Blair, Anna (1983). Tales of Ayrshire. London : Shepeard - Walwyn. ISBN 0-85683-068-2.
- Dougall, Charles S. (1911). The Burns Country. London: A & C Black.
- Love, Dane (2003), Ayrshire: Discovering a County. Ayr: Fort Publishing. ISBN. 0-9544461-1-9.
- Millar, A. H. (1885). The Castles and Mansions of Ayrshire. Glasgow : Grimsay Press. ISBN 1-84530-019-X.
- Paterson, James (1863-66). History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton. V. - II - Kyle. Edinburgh: J. Stillie.
See also
- Colin Montgomerie - Golfer
- Gordon Brown (rugby player) - the legendary "Broon frae Troon"
- James Logan (footballer) - Footballer
- Laigh Milton viaduct - the Kilmarnock and Troon railway or tramway.
- Mike Russell- MSP
External links
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