Gazetteer of Scotland

IRV
Ihe latter nearly 750 fed in the parifli.
The ruinous caftle of Loch-Mood, once
the refidence of the family of Annan-
dale, is Iituated in the N. end of the
parilh; it is faid to have been built in
the 14th century, and appears to have
been a place of great ftrength, having
prodigious thick walls, and being fur-
rounded with almoft impaflable bogs
and marines. Drs. Rogerfon and
Halliday, phyficians to the late Em-
prefs of Ruffia, were natives of this
pariih. In 1793, the population was
JOHNSTOWN (St.) ; an ancient
name of Perth, now difufed. Vide
Perth.
IONA, or I-COLM-KILL ; one of
the Hebrides. Vide I-colm-kill.
I R O N G R AY, or more properly
KIRKPATRICK-IRONGRAY; a
pariih in Kirkcudbrightibire. Vide
Kirkpatrick-Irongray.
IRVINE, or IRWINE ; a fea port
town, and royal borough, in the baili-
ery of Cunningham, and county of
Ayr. It ftands on a rifing ground, of
a Iandy foil, to the N. of the mouth
of the river Irvine, the actuary of
which forms the harbour. The fitu-
ation is dry and well aired, having a
broad ftreet running from S. E. to N.
W. the whole length of the town : on
the S. fide of the river, but connected
to the town by a handfotne bridge,
there is a row of houfes on each fide
of the road leading to the harbour, on
an uniform plan, chiefly inhabited by
ieafaring people : a number of the
fime kind of houfes are built on the
road leading to Ayr : none of thefe
fuburbs are within the royalty, but
are locally Iituated in the pariih of
Dundonald. The church of Irvine is
a great ornament to the place, being
fituated on a riling ground betwixt
the town and the river, and furmourit-
ed by an elegant fpire. It is uncertain
when the town was erected into a
royal borough ; but a charter is ex-
tant, from Alexander II. confirming
fome grants from other ibvereigns.
The magiftracy of Irvine had former-
ly a very extenfive jurifdiction over
the barony of Cunningham and Largs,
but that is now completely abolifhed.
They ftill have an ample revenue ari-
fing from the cuftoms, and from a large
tract of land which rents at 500I. -per
annum. The harbour is commodious,
IRV
with 10 or 12 feet water on the bar a*.
fpring tides. To this port formerly be-
longed feveral buffes employed in the
herring filhery ; at prefent they employ
a number of brigs in the coal trade,
of which about 24,000 tons are annu-
ally exported. Irvine has alfo a dock-
yard for fliip-building, a large tan-
work, a rope-work, and a bleachfieldj
and a number of perfons are engaged
in the manufacture of carpets, muflins,
filks, lawns, &c. which are exported
in confiderable quantities. The im-
ports are iron, hemp, flax, wood, and
grain, of which laft 10,000 quarters
have been imported in one year from
Ireland alone, befides what has been,
brought coaftways from Galloway.
Irvine lies 15 miles E. from the ifle
of Anan, and 61 W. by S. from Edin-
burgh. In 1792, it contained about
3500 inhabitants. The pariih of Irvine
extends about j miles in length along
the river of the fame name, which fe-
parates it from the pariih of Dundon-
ald, and its greateft breadth is not
more than 2 miles. In the coaft, and
the banks of the river, the furface is
flat and iandy ; about the town it is
a light loam, in fome places mixed
with gravel, both, of which foils are
abundantly fertile ; towards the N^
eaftern extremity, the fituation is
more elevated, and the foil is a ftrong
clay. Befides the Irvine river, it is
watered by the Annock and the Gar-
nock ftreams, all of which abound with
trout. Boutree-billf the feat of the
Hon. Mr. Hamilton* is the only gen-
tleman's refidence in the pariih : near
to it is an old caftle belonging to the
Earl of Eglingtouri, whole feat is in
the neighbouring pariih of Kilwin-
ing ; the caftle is faid to be the re-
mains of a nunnery, where there was
a chapel, a church-yard, and a village ;
but, of thefe none but the caftle walls
remain. The face of the country is
beautified by clumps and belts cf
planting, which are equally of benefit
for fhelter and for ornament. There
was formerly in the town a convent
belonging to the Carmelites, or White
Friars, founded by the family of Ful-
larton ; but of the buildings of that
religious houfe, not the fmalleft vef-
tiges remain. In this pariih arofe that
religious feet, called from their.found-
er, the Euchannites. In 1790, the po-
pulation, as ftated in the ftatifticai
Hi z