In 1882-4, Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Newmilns like this:
Newmilns, a town in Loudoun parish, Ayrshire. Lying, 250 feet above sea-level, on the right bank of the river Irvine, which divides it from Greenholm suburb in Galston parish, it has beautiful environs (`Loudoun's bonny woods and braes'), serves as a seat of retail trade for a considerable extent of surrounding country, and Presents a tolerably well-built, pleasant appearance. ...
Its station, the terminus of a branch of the Glasgow and South-Western railway, is 2 miles E by N of Galston and 7 ½ E by S of Kilmarnock. In the middle of the town is an old tower, whose early history is unknown, but which about 1681 was Captain Inglis' headquarters and the prison of seven Covenanters, captured near Kilmarnock, and presently set free by the daring of friends outside. Newmilns has a post office under Kilmarnock, with money order, savings' bank, and telegraph departments, branches of the Clydesdale and Royal Banks, 8 insurance agencies, 4 hotels, 2 gas companies, a police station, a town-hall, a temperance hall, a working-men's institute, and a fair on the Thursday in July of Glasgow fair week. Places of worship are Loudoun parish church (1845; 1200 sittings), a Free church, and a U.P. church (1833; 780 sittings); and the schools are two, public and Lady Flora's. The staple industry is muslin weaving. Newmilns was made a burgh of barony by a royal charter of 1490, and is governed by 3 bailies, a treasurer, a fiscal, and 9 councillors. Pop. (1841) 1988, (1861) 2810, (1871) 3028, (1881) 2860, of whom 1515 were females, and 741 were in Greenholm.—Ord. Sur., sh. 22, 1865.
Newmilns through time
Newmilns is now part of East Ayrshire district. Click here for graphs and data of how East Ayrshire has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Newmilns itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Newmilns in East Ayrshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20383
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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