Galston, East Ayrshire
Galston
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 Galston
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| Galston shown within East Ayrshire | |
| Population | 5,000 (Census 2001) |
| Language |
English Scots |
| OS grid reference | NS569200 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Galston |
| Postcode district | KA4 |
| Dialling code | 01563 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Galston (Lowland Scots: Gauston, Scottish Gaelic: Baile nan Gall) is a municipality in East Ayrshire, Scotland which has a population of 5,001 (2001). It is situated in wooded countryside 4 miles up-river from Kilmarnock and is one a group of the small towns located in the Irvine Valley between the towns of Hurlford and Newmilns. To the north of the town is the ruin of Loudoun Castle, the site of Loudoun Castle theme park from 1995 to 2010. In 1874 the population was 4,727.
The name Galston means "place of the strangers" from the Gaelic word Gall (a stranger), and the Toun or Ton was a farm and its outbuildings. The word baile was anglicised in more recent history as toun like many other place names in Scotland which were originally "bal".
The 17th-century Presbyterians were against burials taking place within churches. In 1609 John Schaw of Sornbeg decided to bury his recently-deceased wife within Galston Kirk. He entered the kirk with a party of armed men and proceeded to break up flagstones and dig a grave where he interred his wife's body. He was fined £20 for this action and promised never to attempt this act again.
The burn joins the Irvine at Galston. It is named after St Anne, said to be the mother of the Virgin Mary. St Anne's holy well is marked on the 1860 OS and lies above Bank wood, flowing into the Burnanne. The Holy well has been destroyed by the construction of a concrete tank which collects the spring water for Cessnock Castle, first constructed for the Duke of Portland in Victorian times. The Carsewell Hole nearby was used for adult baptism.
The woodlands here have a high plant biodiversity value and are a registered provisional wildlife site as designated by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Species noted in 2007 include the Woodruff, Bird cherry, Primrose, Common violet, Oak, Stitchwort, Golden male (Scaly) fern, Bugle, Opposite-leaved Golden saxifrage, Bluebell, Dog's mercury, Broad buckler fern, Watercress, Lady fern, Male shield fern, Kidney vetch, Woodrush, Woodsedge, blackthorn, hawthorn, Marsh marigold, Foxglove, Sweet Cicely, Herb Robert, Red campion, Bistort, Ribwort plantain, Water avens, Wood avens, Moschatel, elm, alder, and many liverworts. A pair of Buzzards were noted.
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