Category: Kilbirnie / North Ayrshire

Private William McEwan First World War

This is from the Newspaper, The Scotsman dated 1915 about a Kilbirnie man who was sadly killed during the First World War. William McEwan. I’ve highlighted the name in red, at the bottom of the page.

This is from the Newspaper, The Scotsman dated 1915 about a Kilbirnie man who was sadly killed during the First World War. William McEwan. I’ve highlighted the name in red, at the bottom of the page.

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Death of Robert Houston – 1940

Robert Houston was an Artist, born in Kilbirnie in 1891. He attended Spiers School in Beith and became very famous in the word of Art along with his brother George Houston, another famous artist. Another brother James is perhaps better known in the town as James Houston the architect who designed lots of local buildings […]

Robert Houston was an Artist, born in Kilbirnie in 1891. He attended Spiers School in Beith and became very famous in the word of Art along with his brother George Houston, another famous artist. Another brother James is perhaps better known in the town as James Houston the architect who designed lots of local buildings and memorials including some of the W and J Knox Buildings and an installation in the Auld Kirk. Their office and house was at Bridgend, which was demolished so the cinema could be built (latterly a bingo hall and then it became Radio City) and subsequently the office ended up at the bottom of School Wynd in later years ran by his son, also called James. More details about the company and the family can be found here. The genealogy which leads into the Logan family can be found here.

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General Mathew of Place – Death Intimation

This is from the newspaper “The Scotsman” dated August the 4th 1932.

This is the man who unveiled the War memorial and was something of a war hero locally and nationally. He was married to Lady Janet Muir Knox and lived at Place House, across from the Golf course which was demolished some years back. If you want to know more about him, you can click here https://josephmctaggart.org/major-general-sir-charles-mathew/

They are both buried in the family vault – if you go the the huge imposing Knox monument in Kilbirnie old cemetery you will find it just next to there. There is a huge headstone which resembles a birthday cake, which when moved opens up a huge vault underneath. Last I heard it was completely flooded inside. There are more details in the Knox section of this site.

ِDennyholm Street, Kilbirnie (again)

I have attached some photos. On one you can see Dennyholm street houses ( they look like chalets). “The Dennyholm” (street) ran parallel to Newton Street but was on a level at the back and beneath the street. (next to number 836 on the map). The street itself ran all the way into the mill complex.

The others show: the entrance to the mill complex and the demolished site before they built the new housing estate.

The North Ayrshire Directories of that time describes them as “a long row of houses prone to flooding.” The census of 1921 shows them as having only 2 rooms each.

Here is my colourised version:

Maypole Street

As it’s May, its a good time to remember where Maypole Street was in Kilbirnie. It looks like it was more or less where Knoxville Rd is and Stoneyholm Mill sat on Maypole Street. I am guessing that when the Knox family built at least one of their houses there, the road was widened and changed, becoming Knoxville Rd. It’s hard to know where it was exactly, I will need to dig out some old maps.

Ancestry shows a Samuel Hood being born at number 7 Maypole Street, Kilbirnie. Later documents show a softer spelling and it was known as Maybole Street. (with a B)

As it was known as Maypole Street, there would actually have been a tree or a pole put up there in May for people to dance around and the oldest person in the town would have had the honour of decorating it.

It’s hard to picture that by today’s standards.

Maggie McTaggart, Kilbirnie 1920

I have this death certificate for Maggie McTaggart who died at Dennyholm, Kilbirnie on April 27th 1920. She was the sister of my Great Grandfather.

It is interesting to see the other people listed here, definitely Kilbirnie names and sad deaths from 1920. Thomas Kane and Patrick Bannon both died in 1920.