'Antiquities of Scotland' Index
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The Abbey of Kilwinning
THIS abbey is situated in the Bailiwick of
Cunningham, one of the three districts or subdivisions of the Shire of
Ayr, about three miles North of the Royal Burgh of Irving, near the
Irish sea. IT was founded in the year 1140, by Hugh Morville,
Constable of Scotland, for monks of the Tyronesian order, brought from
Kelso; it was dedicated to St. Winning.
KING ROBERT granted to this house the lands of
Hollard, near the Burgh of Irving, and twenty shillings rent annually
paid by the heirs of Bailliol, for his lands in Kilmarnock. John de
Meneteth, Lord of Annan and Knapdale, gave to the said monks the right
of patronage and advowson of the churches of St. Mary and St Briget,
in the Isle of Arran, with their lands and chapels. The charter is
given at Kilwinning, the I2th of October, 1357. And A. D. 1367 Sir
John Maxwell of that Ilk, gave them the patronage of the church of
Leberton, with an acre of ground thereunto contiguous.
IN the reign of
King Robert III. Sir William Cunningham of Kelmares, gave, in pure
alms, to the monks of this house, the lands of Grange.
THE annual revenue of this abbey, at the time of
the Reformation, amounted to 8403¼ lls. Scots; 8 bolls of wheat; 14
chalders, 1 boll, 3 ferlots, 3 pecks of bear; 67 chaldrons of oatmeal;
13 stirks ; 14 capons; 100 hens; 268 cheeses; 9 fathoms square of a
peat stack, from Mussnullock Moss. This account of the yearly income
of the abbey is taken from the register at Loudon, No. 279.
{Some definitions:
Chalder, Bols, ferlots and pecks are Scots
dry measures of grain:
1 chalder = 16 bolls
1 boll = 4 ferlots
1 ferlot = 4 pecks
1 peck = 4 lippies
Pecks of bear: 'bear' = Barley; the
six-rowed barley or the four-rowed barley, commonly the former.
'lls. Scots' are Scots pounds
A 'stirk' is a heifer or bullock, especially between one and two years
old.
A 'capon' is a male chicken castrated when young to improve the
quality of its flesh for food.}
THE buildings of this house, when entire,
according to tradition, occupied several acres; but at present their
situation cannot be exactly traced .
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