The villages of the Glenkens
Southwest Scotland's Highlands!
CARSPHAIRN
Carsphairn is situated about 10 miles north of Dalry on the A 713 on the Ayr road. The name means Alder meadow and the present population is about 115. It is one of the more isolated villages in the area.
The village has a primary school, a shop/post office, a hall, the Heritage centre, which was opened in 1992, a pub and a church which was built in 1815 and has one of the few central communion tables in Scotland. The present school was built in 1823 and records show that Latin, Greek, French and Arithmetic were taught there in 1848.
The ruin of Lagwyne Mansion is just outside the village.This was the childhood home of John Loudon McAdam (the man who invented "tarmac"). He was born in Ayr but moved to Carsphairn shortly thereafter. Unfortunately the house caught fire when he was 6 years old and he was nearly killed. There is a memorial to him in the church.
In a field behind the village is a large boulder and legend has it that when the Parish of Carsphairn was formed in 1640 and a church was built,
Just outside the village, before the bridge, on the right, is a track which leads to the Green Well of Scot land.This is the site of several legends; one is that a pot of gold was stolen form Lagwyne Castle and the thief threw it into the well, and another is that a man who had collected gold dust from the Gold Wells of Cairnsmore and converted it into coins, threw the coins into the well when officers of the crown came to see him. A gold coin has been found there!
Across the bridge on the left-hand side of the road is the remains of a stone circle and a burial mound. Continuing on the path past the stone circle one comes to the old Woodhead lead mine.The mine was started in 1839 and by 1850 there were 50 houses and a population of over 300. There was a library, a school and a church.
The school was built around 1843 and in 1851 there were 49 children on the roll and 2 teachers. Children as young as 11 or 12 were employed as leadwashers. The church was built in 1844 but closed in 1867. Mining stopped in 1873 and the village began to empty, the last house being vacated in 1954.
There are a number of ancient sites of interest in the area going back as far as the stone age right through to the 19th century and there are walks in the Galloway Hills from which they can be seen. Carsphairn is surrounded by hills for those who like more strenuous walks.