History Silverwood, Ayrshire

silverwood circa 1654 timothy pont.

timothy pont s map of circa 1654 (see illustration) shows sylverwood wooded policies , pale encircling on 3 sides, templeton burn forming boundary west. land referred in 1691 being 3 pound land of old extent. in circa 1640 hew montgomerie of silverwood 1 of rentallers of grougar , valuation £76 9s 4d.

a map showing site of silverwood.

the lands in 1640 lay in bailliary of kilwinning , regality of torphichen; regality being defined territorial jurisdiction of royal nature conferred sovereign, here jurisdiction on lands had belonged knights templar. regality called temple-cuninghame.

hew (hugh) montgomerie of silverwood brother of robert montgomerie of hessilhead , in 1672 heir hereditary bailieship of temple lands , tenements within bailiary of cuninghame , regality of kilwinning. sheriff depute of renfrewshire , such involved in number of contemporary court cases. hugh s wife helen tran , son alexander montgomerie. hugh stood witness brother being invested in barony of giffen on 19 june 1663.

the templeton burn in armsheugh plantation near crookedholm.

temple-cuninghame tenandry in land , other property, etc. let rent, rather retained in superior’s own hands. in 1614 hugh had given bell beith (old kirk), inscribed . bell . . given . . hugh montgomerie . son . . hessilhead . anno . 1614 .

in 1691 john cuming laird of silverwood. son of matthew cuming, merchant in glasgow, , held lands @ annual rent of £78 16s 5d. mother jean howatt whom lands had passed via grandfather, james howatt. hearth tax records year show lands of silverwood had ten dwellings; 1 hearth each silverwood , templeton, 4 milton.

aiton records silverwood farm 73 acres in extent , prior 1776 leased £5 , 5 bolls of meal per annum 19 year period; had risen £200 per annum in 1811.

by 1876 lands of silverwood had become part of estates belonging duke of portland. 6 inch os maps of 19th century show formal laid out garden nearby orchard.

silverwood farm (2008) privately owned.

william aiton (sheriff), author in 1800s of ‘a treatise on moss-earth’; ‘general view of agriculture of county of ayr’; ‘general view of agriculture of county of bute’; ‘a history of rencounter @ drumclog , battle @ bothwell bridge’; ‘an inquiry pedigree of hamilton family’; , ‘inquiry house of aiton in scotland,’ silverwood.

silverwood

it not how name arose, name may indicate link silver birch trees give silver appearance, in winter, @ distance. species have predominated in templetonburn glen typical climactic vegetation habitat when area less drained , free artificial plantings.