Ayrshire
68208
224878423
2008-07-10T20:29:35Z
90.217.96.215
{{for|the cattle originating from Ayrshire|Ayrshire cattle}}
{{for|the small city in the United States|Ayrshire, Iowa}}
{{infobox Scotland county|
|County= Ayr
|Image= [[Image:AyrshireTraditional.png|230px]]
|SizeRank= 7th
|Size= 728,186 acres (2947 km²)
|Water= ?
|CountyTown= [[Ayr]]
|ChapmanCode=AYR
}}
'''Ayrshire''' ({{lang-gd|Siorrachd Inbhir Àir}}, {{pronounced|ʃir̴əxg̊ iɲiɾʲˈaːɾʲ}}) is a county of south-west [[Scotland]], located on the shores of the [[Firth of Clyde]]. Its principal [[town]]s include [[Ayr]], [[Kilmarnock]] and [[Irvine, North Ayrshire|Irvine]]. The town of [[Troon]] (pop. 14,766) on the coast has hosted the [[The Open Championship|British Open Golf Championship]] twice in the last seven years, eight times in total, including the most recent one in 2004. Approximately 200,000 visitors come to Troon during this period.
Ayrshire, under the name the '''County of Ayr''', is a [[registration county]]. The electoral and valuation area named Ayrshire covers the three council areas of [[South Ayrshire]], [[East Ayrshire]] and [[North Ayrshire]], therefore including the [[Isle of Arran]], [[Great Cumbrae]] and [[Little Cumbrae]]. The three islands were part of the [[County of Bute]] until [[1975]] and are not always included when the term ''Ayrshire'' is applied to the region. The same area is known as ''[[Ayrshire and Arran]]'' in other contexts.
Ayrshire is one of the most agriculturally fertile regions of Scotland. Potatoes are grown in fields near the coast, using seaweed-based fertiliser, and in addition the region produces pork products, other root vegetables, cattle (see below) and summer berries such as strawberries are grown abundantly.
The area used to be heavily industrialised, with [[steel making]], [[coal mining]] and in Kilmarnock numerous examples of [[production-line]] manufacturing, most famously [[Johnnie Walker]] whisky. In more recent history, [[Digital Equipment]] had a large manufacturing plant near Ayr from about 1976 until the company was taken over by [[Compaq]] in 1998. Some supplier companies grew up to service this site and the more distant [[IBM]] plant at [[Greenock]] in [[Renfrewshire (historic)|Renfrewshire]]. Scotland's aviation industry has long been based in and around [[Prestwick]] and its [[Prestwick Airport|international airport]], and although aircraft manufacture ceased at the former [[British Aerospace]] plant in 1998, a significant number of aviation companies are still based on the Prestwick site. However, unemployment in the region(excluding the more [[rural]] [[South Ayrshire]]) remains high, above the national average.
The area became part of the kingdom of Scotland during the [[11th century]]. In [[1263]], the Scots successfully drove off a group of [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[Viking]]s in a skirmish known as the [[Battle of Largs]].
A notable historic building in Ayrshire is Turnberry Castle, which dates from the [[13th century]] or earlier, and which may have been the birthplace of [[Robert I of Scotland|Robert the Bruce]].
The historic [[shire]] or [[sheriffdom]] of Ayr was divided into three districts or ''bailieries'' which later made up the [[Counties of Scotland|county]] of Ayrshire. The three districts were:
*[[Carrick, Scotland|Carrick]] in the south
*[[Kyle, Ayrshire|Kyle]] in the centre, which included the [[royal burgh]] of [[Ayr]]
*[[Cunninghame]] in the north which included the royal burgh of [[Irvine, North Ayrshire|Irvine]].
The [[Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889]] established a uniform system of [[county council]]s in Scotland and realigned the boundaries of many of Scotland’s counties.
[[Glasgow Prestwick International Airport]], serving [[Glasgow]], is located in Ayrshire. It has a niche in [[rock (music)|rock]] history as the only place in Britain visited by [[Elvis|Elvis Presley]], on his way home from Army service in Germany in 1960.
==Local government ==
[[Image:M77-Ayrshire.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Welcome to Ayrshire" sign on [[M77 motorway|M77]] southbound]]
[[Image:MapOfAyrshire.png|thumb|right|250px|Administrative subdivisions covering Ayrshire]]
:''See also ''[[Local government of Scotland]]''
Ayr [[county council]] was created in 1890, under the [[Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889]]. In 1930 the [[Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929]] was implemented. This re-designated the [[Burghs]] into [[Large Burghs]] and [[Small Burghs]]. This new categorisation influenced the level of autonomy that the Burghs enjoyed from the county council. The act also abolished the [[Parish]] as a unit of local government in Scotland. In Ayrshire in excess of 30 Parishes were consolidated into ten [[District Councils]].
In May 1975 the county council was abolished and its functions transferred to [[Strathclyde Regional Council]]. The county area was divided between four new districts within the two-tier [[Strathclyde]] [[region (Scotland)|region]]: [[Cumnock and Doon Valley]], [[Cunninghame]], [[Kilmarnock and Loudoun (district)|Kilmarnock and Loudoun]] and [[Kyle and Carrick]]. The Cunninghame district was larger than the pre-1975 district: it included the [[Isle of Arran]], [[Great Cumbrae]] and [[Little Cumbrae]], which had been administered previously as part of the [[County of Bute]].
In 1996 the two-tier system of [[regions and districts (Scotland)|regions and districts]] was abolished and Ayrshire was divided between the [[Council areas of Scotland|unitary council areas]] of [[East Ayrshire]], [[South Ayrshire]], and [[North Ayrshire]]. North Ayrshire includes the Isle of Arran, and the Cumbrae islands.
== Parliamentary constituencies ==
There was an [[Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Ayrshire constituency]] of the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of Great Britain]] from 1708 to 1801 and of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] from 1801 until 1868, when the constituency was divided into [[Ayrshire North (UK Parliament constituency)|Ayrshire North]] and [[Ayrshire South (UK Parliament constituency)|Ayshire South]].
During the whole of the 1708 to 1868 period, and until 1950, the [[burgh]]s of [[Ayr]] and [[Irvine, North Ayrshire|Irvine]] were [[parliamentary burgh]]s, represented as components of [[Ayr Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Ayr Burghs]]. In 1832 [[Kilmarnock]] became a parliamentary burgh, to be represented as a component of [[Kilmarnock Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Kilmarnock Burghs]] until 1918. Ayr Burghs and Kilmarnock Burghs were [[districts of burghs (UK Parliament)|districts of burghs]], and quite different in character from later Ayr and Kilmarnock constituencies.
From 1918 to 1983 Ayrshire and [[Buteshire]] were treated as if a single area for purposes of parliamentary representation, with their combined area being divided into different constituencies at different times. Scottish local government counties were abolished in 1975, in favour of [[Regions and districts of Scotland|regions and districts]], but the next reform of constituency boundaries was not until 1983.
Constituencies covering Ayrshire may be listed by periods as below, but the story is somewhat more complicated than the lists may imply: until 1918, Ayr Burghs and Kilmarnock Burghs included burghs lying outside both Ayrshire and Buteshire; a particular constituency name may represent different boundaries in different periods; in 1974, there were boundary changes without the creation of any new constituency names.
{|Class=wikitable
|-
! Period
! Constituencies
|-
| 1708 to 1832
| [[Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Ayrshire]] and [[Ayr Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Ayr Burghs]]
|-
| 1832 to 1868
| Ayrshire, [[Kilmarnock Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Kilmarnock Burghs]] and Ayr Burghs
|-
| 1868 to 1918
| [[North Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)|North Ayrshire]], Kilmarnock Burghs, Ayr Burghs and [[South Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South Ayrshire]]
|-
| 1918 to 1950
| [[Bute and Northern Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Bute and Northern Ayrshire]], [[Kilmarnock (UK Parliament constituency)|Kilmarnock]], Ayr Burghs and South Ayrshire
|-
| 1950 to 1983
| Bute and Northern Ayrshire, [[Central Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Central Ayrshire]], Kilmarnock, [[Ayr (UK Parliament constituency)|Ayr]] and South Ayrshire
|}
==Towns and villages in Ayrshire==
[[Image:Ayrshire.rivers.some.towns.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Ayrshire, with rivers and several towns.]]
<div style="-moz-column-count:3; column-count:3;">
*[[Ardrossan]]
*[[Auchentiber]]
*[[Auchinleck]]
*[[Ayr]]
*[[Beith]]
*[[Cumnock]]
*[[Dalry]]
*[[Darvel]]
*[[Drongan]]
*[[Drybridge]]
*[[Corsehill, Lainshaw, Robertland and Dunlop|Dunlop]]
*[[Dunure]]
*[[Fairlie, North Ayrshire|Fairlie]]
*[[Galston, East Ayrshire|Galston]]
*[[Gatehead, Ayrshire]]
*[[Girvan]]
*[[Glengarnock]]
*[[Hurlford]]
*[[Irvine, North Ayrshire|Irvine]]
*[[Kilbirnie]]
*[[Kilmarnock]]
*[[Kilmaurs]]
*[[Kilwinning]]
*[[Knockentiber]]
*[[Largs]]
*[[Lugton]]
*[[Mauchline]]
*[[Maybole]]
*[[Newmilns]]
*[[Ochiltree]]
*[[Prestwick]]
*[[Saltcoats]]
*[[Seamill]]
*[[Skelmorlie]]
*[[Springside, Ayrshire|Springside]]
*[[Stevenston]]
*[[Stewarton]]
*[[Troon]]
*[[West Kilbride]]
</div>
==Rivers in Ayrshire==
The main rivers flowing to the Clyde coast are, from north to south, the following:
<div style="-moz-column-count:3; column-count:3;">
*[[River Garnock]]
*[[River Irvine]]
*[[River Ayr]]
*[[River Doon]]
*[[River Girvan]]
*[[River Stinchar]]
</div>
== Interesting places ==
<div style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
*[[Auchenharvie Castle]]
*[[Barony and Castle of Giffen]]
*[[Cleeves Cove cave]]
*[[Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park]]
*[[Corsehill, Lainshaw, Robertland and Dunlop|Corsehill]]
*[[Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume|Dalgarven mill]]
*[[Dunlop cheese]]
*[[Eglinton Country Park]]
*[[Laigh Milton Viaduct|Laigh Milton viaduct]]
*[[Thurgartstone]]
</div>
==Some notable people born in Ayrshire==
<!--
-- keep in alphabetical order by surname --
-->
* Hew Ainslie (1792-1878), poet <ref name="Marquis 1607-1896"> {{cite book | title = Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896 | publisher = Marquis Who's Who | location = Chicago | date = 1963}}</ref>
*Sir [[Thomas Makdougall Brisbane|Thomas Brisbane]] (1773-1860), Scottish soldier and colonial administrator, after whom the city of [[Brisbane, Queensland|Brisbane]] is named.
*[[John Boyd Orr]] (1880-1971), [[Nobel Peace Prize]] winner <!-- Boyd Orr is the surname -->
*[[Robert I of Scotland|Robert the Bruce]] (1274-1329), possibly at Turnberry Castle.
*[[Robert Burns]] (1759-1796), poet, in Alloway;
*[[Kenneth Campbell]] (1917-1941), RAF pilot, pothsumous recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]], born in Ardrossan.
*[[Robert Craufurd]] (1764-1812), British Major-General;
*Thomas Craig (1855-1900), noted professor of mathematics, editor, and author. <ref name="Marquis 1607-1896"/>
*[[John Boyd Dunlop|John Dunlop]] (1840-1921), Scottish inventor of the pneumatic tire, in Dreghorn.
*[[Andrew Fisher]] (1862-1928), 5th Prime Minister of Australia 1908-1909, 1910-1913, 1914-1915;
*[[Alexander Fleming|Sir Alexander Fleming]] (1881-1955), inventor/discoverer of penicillin, in Darvel;
*[[John Galt (novelist)|John Galt]] (1779-1839), author;
*[[Tom Hunter]], entrepreneur and philanthropist
*[[Jamie Allan Kerr]], Scotland's youngest [[Master craftsman]]
*[[John Loudon McAdam|John McAdam]] (1756-1836), engineer, responsible for a system of road design;
*[[James McCosh]] (1811-1894), noted [[philosopher]] of the [[Scottish School of Common Sense]] and president of what would be [[Princeton University]]. <ref name="Marquis 1607-1896"/>
*[[William McIlvanney]], writer.
*[[James H. McLean]] (1806-1886), born in Ayrshire, physician and United States Congressman from Missouri. <ref name="Marquis 1607-1896"/>
*[[William Murdoch]] (1754 - 1839), Inventor of gas lighting and Engineer.
*[[Simon Neil]] (1979-), [[James Johnston]], and [[Ben Johnston]] of [[Biffy Clyro]].
*[[Bill Shankly]] (1913-1981), successful [[football (soccer)|football]] manager
*[[Robert Simson]] (1687-1768), noted mathematician and professor of mathematics for 50 years
*[[Sam Torrance]] (1953- ), professional golfer born in Largs.
*[[Malcolm Wallace]], Father of [[William Wallace]] one of Scotland's greatest national heroes, in Riccarton, Kilmarnock.
<!-- please keep above list in alphabetical order -->
==References==
*{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.ayrshirescotland.com www.ayrshirescotland.com] Clans, Castles, Country Parks, Mansions, Golf & Accommodation.
* [http://www.ayrshirelangaming.com Ayrshire Local Gaming]
* [http://www.ayrshire-arran.com Ayrshire & Arran Tourist Board]
* [http://www.ayrshireinfo.net Ayrshire Info.net forum] - Recycling, Classifieds and Community forums
* [http://www.scotlandone.com/galleries/do:regionAyrshire Ayrshire - Photo Database]
* [http://www.ruleworks.co.uk/Ayrshire Visit Ayrshire & Arran Guide] A to Z and Picture Gallery
{{Scotland counties}}
{{coor title dm|55|30|N|4|30|W|region:GB_type:adm2nd_source:GNS-enwiki}}
<!--Categories-->
[[Category:Counties of Scotland]]
[[de:Ayrshire]]
<!-- [[en:Ayrshire]] -->
[[es:Ayrshire]]
[[fr:Ayrshire]]
[[gd:Siorrachd Inbhir Àir]]
[[it:Ayrshire]]
[[mk:Еаршир]]
[[no:Ayrshire]]