LOUDOUN valley
NEWMILNS...
The Beginning:-
In the 12th century the Barony of Loudoun was granted by De Morvilles to James De Laudun, who was succeeded by the Craufords of Loudoun who were the sheriffs of Ayr and it was held by the Loudoun family until it was abolished in1747.
In 1491, January the 9th, King James IV at the palace of Linlithgow made the town of Newmyllis the free burgh of Barony in the sheriffdom of Ayr. The only other burghs in Ayrshire were Irvine, Ayr, Prestwick and Newton upon-Ayr, Kilmarnock was a century later. A further charter was granted in1566 that gave bailies the power to hold courts.
Newmilns had a few martyrs. John Nisbet of Hardhill executed 1685 Mathew Paton executed 1666
James Wood shot 1679 John Nisbet shot 1683 James Nisbet of Highside killed 1684
John Richmond executed 1684 James Smith shot by Captain Inglis and his Dragoon guards near the banks of the Burn Ann 1684
The Rev Dr George was born in 1727; he was ordained Minister of Loudoun in 1763 and died in 1799, which had among his friends the poet Robert Burns. It was the Rev Dr George who was the author of "Hae Ye Mind Lang Syne"
Also famous for Covenanters, the anti slavery society and the first translation of the bible into Scots language by local farmer Murdoch Nisbet.
More Historic facts:-
The Agriculture show started in 1731, still going today as the Cattle show and is held every June.
Dr Johnston visited Loudoun in 1773.
First lace factory 1878.
In 1891 Weavers from Newmilns started a lace factory in Gothenburg, and a year later started the famous Gothenburg football team.
In 1893 Johnstone & Shields sent lace weavers to start a lace factory in Barcelona, where they formed a football team called "Colonia Escoces".
In 1894 Keir Hardie Lectured in the Temperance Halls.
Rex Cinema opened in1913 in the site that is now the Townhead Garage.
Year of the big Flood 1920.
Old Men’s Cabin opened 1930.
In 1939 new Rex Cinema opened at the cross, in the old Cross Keys inn.
In 1949, The Newmilns Civic Week received the American flag to replace the one that was lost. President George Washington gifted the original one to Newmilns for their support during the American Civil War.
1954 The big mud flood.
1960 The Newmilns School burnt down.
1973 Vesuvius Crucible received Queens Award to Industry, also again in 1981.
1975 The last sitting of the old Newmilns Council.
1979 Haddow Aird & Crerer received their Queens award. They are one of the few lace factories still producing in 2009.
1981 Lady Flora's closed because it was deemed unsafe.
Morton Young And Borland at the movies...
Once again, Lace from Newmilns is on our Television screens as another big production programme from America hits our screens with the series "Boardwalk Empire" The programme is being broadcast by the satellite company B Sky B. The lace factory in Newmilns [called] Morton Young & Borland Textiles has produced the authentic lace backdrop featured in many scenes in this £12million series which reflects the 1920s in Atlantic City.
This is not the first time this famous lace mull has featured in cinemas and Television screens: Sex and the City 2, Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter films and the forthcoming Bel Ami staring Ulma Thurman.
Morton Young & Borland Textiles is over a hundred years old and was founded in 1900 by Thomas Morton and Alex Young. This company first manufactured Scotch Leno Gauze Weave, more commonly known as Madras.
MYB as they are known in Newmilns are the world's sole producer of this type of fabric. There were 32 factories producing lace in Newmilns and Darvel in the early 1900s; today there are 2 factories producing Nottingham Lace, the other one being Haddow Aird and Crerer which are situated only a stones throw from each other.
I personally was involved in the lace trade in my younger days before moving into the more modern Synthetic curtain manufacturing; which was cleaner than lace as there wasn't any black lead used in the production, speed was also a major factor. A lot of people in the trade said it wouldn't be long until this modern knitting (not weaving) would finish the slower and dirtier way of producing curtains.
I use to pride myself when watching television, I could spot which valley factory produced the curtains hanging on the windows in certain soaps, plays and various sets in Television studios. [Sad I know]
I find it strange that Lace and Madras are still going long after the demise of its more modern counterpart "The Terylene" most people know this product as net curtains, which is wiped off the landscape, as one by one the factories were bulldozed;, houses were built in their place. It feels to me personally, as if it never happened and this after witnessing thousands of people being transported from all over Ayrshire by train, bus and car, to be involved in the manufacture of these products over many years.
Why was it allowed to just vanish? The know how and the expertise was always there.
My own thoughts were the trade never got the recognition that it deserved, because to treat people with the skills they possessed would mean higher rewards and wages: The Masters (factory owners) could never have that.! Don't forget this is a trade from the last century.
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