Published: Monday, 24th November, 2008 9:30am
Local author tells history of Sorn
by Douglas Skelton
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EmailTHERE are not many people who would want to live in a place called 'Snout". Even less who might wish to declare their home address as being 'a rising ground of a frowning or unpleasant aspect."
Thank heavens then someone back in the dim and distant decided to call the village in question simply Sorn. It"s derived from the Gaelic Sron, which means nose or projection.
This is one of the many fascinating facts in local author Dane Love"s new book 'The History of Sorn Village and Parish" (Carn Publishing, £20).
As anyone who knows Dane"s work will tell you, he digs deep into the archives to tell as complete a story as possible about one of the area"s most picturesque villages.
There is evidence of Man living and working in the parish since the Stone Age. When it was part of Mauchline Parish it was owned by the monks of Melrose Abbey but eventually, of course, this changed and in 1692 the lands of Dalgain, as they were then known, were split from Mauchline and allowed to strike out on its own. The name changed to Sorn, although the connections to Dalgain still exist.
It"s known as one of the quieter parishes in Ayrshire but this is Scotland and nowhere escaped bloodshed. The lairds of the area were up to their codpieces in the feudin", fightin" and fussin" that bedevilled Ayrshire and beyond during the 16th and 17th centuries. Naturally, there were the religious disputes - one landowner was part of a body of men, all staunch Cathlics, who barricaded Mauchline church against a visiting reforming minister. there might have been bloodshed but the minister, George Wishart, plumped for preaching for three hours on Mauchline Muir instead.
Then, of course, there were the Covenanters - a subject close to Dane Love"s heart. Sorn Castle was occupied by Government troops sent here to stamp out what was seen as a menace, while the area of Aird"s Moss, the site of a battle in 1680, was part of the Parish.
Notably, the last person shot during the the Killing Times of 1688 was 16-year-old local lad George Wood, shot in the evening of June 22. There was no questioning, there was no trial, the boy was simply gunned down as he tended cattle in a field. His memorial stone stands in Sorn"s beautiful little kirkyard.
The village, then known as Dalgain, was a planned village and laid out around 1780 by Dr Alexander Stevenson. Love traces the growth of the village from then, detailing many of the characters, personalities and incidents along the way.
The stories of the various landed gentry over the centuries are told, and even the legend of Mary, queen of Scots, visiting the area while she fled south after the battle of Langside. At Auchmannoch she is said to have drunk at a well, the Lady"s Well, which was reputed to have healling powers ever since.
He also outlines the parish"s commercial heritage, not just coal mining but also ironworks, quarrying, mills and, of course, shops.
The hardback book would be a smart looking addition to the library of anyone from the area and, like Dane"s other works, will become the single 'go to" source for anyone who wants to know more about its past.
The History of Sorn Village and Parish is available from Words of Wisdom, The Square, Cumnock,
Sorn Post Office, Main Street, Sorn,
Catrine Post Office, St Germain Street, Catrine,#
Many Thanks, The Cross, Mauchline,
Waterstone"s booksellers, High Street, Ayr,
SIR Bookshop, Newmarket Street, Ayr
Or from www.dane-love.co.uk/Sorn or post free in the UK from Carn Publishing, Lochnoran House, Auchinleck, Ayrshire KA18 3JW.
