Photographs of Barleith or "The Blocks" as it was known locally
Bibliography as per pages 4; 5 and 6
As late as 1815 several of the outhouses of this mansion were occupied by Colliers. Jean Aiton, daughter of James Aiton, well remembers the primitive conditions of Hurlford. When a girl in her teens she had been in the service of Robert Porter, shoe manufacturer, near to Auld Place. Porter's house was situated on the Woodhead Burn, an affluent of the Cessnock, a little to the north of Cross-roads. Porter's house was a little distance from Dollar's House mansion or Windyhill as it was known locally. About this time the Rev James Mackinlay was a tutor to Sir John Cunningham and he was a frequent visitor to the Porter house where Aiton often heard him reading portions of his discourses he had prepared for his congregation; this was the great Mackinlay of Burns' poem "The Ordination" written during January, 1786. Auld Place was formerly the residence of the Campbells of Cessnock who subsequently moved to a more commodious house near Galston when the Auld Place degenerated to a farm steading. The ground on which Richmond's Inn stands was fued by William Ramsay who was the son of the wife of James Aiton by a former husband. Ramsay was an entrepeneur who made a lot of money from his government work at London and returned to Hurlford and by agreement with James Aiton, built a 2 storey house costing £1000. Ramsay lived expensively and entered the coal trade. The coal pits which were at Barleith, proved ruinous and Ramsay returned to London. He returned to Hurlford during 1828 where he died a poor man. James Aiton lived to an old age and he recalled the Highlanders uprising during 1745 and he was called out as Malitiaman to aid the putting down of the uprising.
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As late as 1815 several of the outhouses of this mansion were occupied by Colliers. Jean Aiton, daughter of James Aiton, well remembers the primitive conditions of Hurlford. When a girl in her teens she had been in the service of Robert Porter, shoe manufacturer, near to Auld Place. Porter's house was situated on the Woodhead Burn, an affluent of the Cessnock, a little to the north of Cross-roads. Porter's house was a little distance from Dollar's House mansion or Windyhill as it was known locally. About this time the Rev James Mackinlay was a tutor to Sir John Cunningham and he was a frequent visitor to the Porter house where Aiton often heard him reading portions of his discourses he had prepared for his congregation; this was the great Mackinlay of Burns' poem "The Ordination" written during January, 1786. Auld Place was formerly the residence of the Campbells of Cessnock who subsequently moved to a more commodious house near Galston when the Auld Place degenerated to a farm steading. The ground on which Richmond's Inn stands was fued by William Ramsay who was the son of the wife of James Aiton by a former husband. Ramsay was an entrepeneur who made a lot of money from his government work at London and returned to Hurlford and by agreement with James Aiton, built a 2 storey house costing £1000. Ramsay lived expensively and entered the coal trade. The coal pits which were at Barleith, proved ruinous and Ramsay returned to London. He returned to Hurlford during 1828 where he died a poor man. James Aiton lived to an old age and he recalled the Highlanders uprising during 1745 and he was called out as Malitiaman to aid the putting down of the uprising.
© Hurlford Village History | created at www.mrsite.com