Lands of Borland
Lands of Borland
|
|
|---|---|
 Borland circa 1900 |
|
 Lands of Borland
|
|
| Lands of Borland shown within East Ayrshire | |
| OS grid reference | NS398493 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Kilmarnock |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
The Lands of Borland formed an estate lying between Aiket Castle and the town of Dunlop, East Ayrshire, Parish of Dunlop, Scotland. The laird's house at Borland stood near the Sandy Ford over the Glazert Water. The names Bordland,Boreland,Borland, Laigh Borland, Low Borland and Nether Borland have all been applied to the site of the laird's house.
In 1848 the Scottish Journal records that a number of years ago the foundation of a ruin of considerable extent was removed by the late proprietor. In 1853 Mr. Dobie recorded that There can still be traced the meiths (boundary line) of a building of considerable extent on the top of the Hill of Borland. Mr. G. Howie, of Dunlop in 1856, stated that he remembered seeing a small portion of what was said to be one of the walls about 70 or 80 years ago. It was a sort of bank, quite crumbled down and overgrown with grass. Since then, the ruins of a building of considerable extent have been removed and the ground cultivated. On the southern side of the hill there are the remains of a wide ditch or fosse, locally known as the 'Cuckoo slide.' Paterson in 1866 states that the foundation of a ruin was removed some years ago by a late proprietor.
A local tradition is that the monks of Kilwinning Abbey had a hospice for their brethren at Borland where medicinal herbs were grown in a formal garden. It is recorded that a two merk land at Dunlop was appropriated to the church and the remainder used by the monks. Borland may have been similar to Monkredding near Kilwinning that was also once held by the Tironensian monks of Kilwinning Abbey and was the 'Monk's Garden', effectively a rest home for the brothers.
A substantial and ornately carved table style gravestone in the Dunlop graveyard records a William Anderson who died aged 70 on the 3rd December 179(?)6 and his wife who died in 1784. The memorial was erected by his son Robert Anderson of Borland. This stone is now leaning against the 'Picture House' building.
The 1797-98 Farm Horse Tax records list John Dunlop's horses at Laigh Borland.
In around 1823 Andrew and Mary Brown inherited "the original mansion, lately rebuilt, on the banks of the Glazert, in a remarkable pleasant situation.." Mary Dunlop married Andrew Brown of Craighead, the eldest son of John Brown of Hill and received as her inheritance the portion of Borland that contained the old mansion house, "..romantically situated by the Glazert Water..". One of their first acts was to rebuild the old mansion house. These reports do not agree on when Borland was rebuilt however the early 19th century seems likely. The walled garden was probably built in the 19th century and stones from the old castle may have been used in its construction.
...
Wikipedia