It was for many years the site of a large sawmill and a mine pumping engine, and had sidings of the Glasgow and South-Western Railway's Fairlie Branch.

The present day name suggest a link with an earldom such as that of Dundonald or Glencairn, the latter holding the Barony of Caprington until 1683, however in the mid 18th century the spelling is recorded as 'Earle town'[2] and in Scots this can also refer to a person who is hired "To engage for service by payment of a sum"[3] and the expression 'earle-penny' was a "A coin given as a token of engagement of service.

A building to the east of the railway at the junction to the sawmill is suggestive of a signal box but is later marked as a water meter.

The railway continued towards Blacksyke Tower and to several other pits in the area at this time, the line being standard gauge and worked by locomotives by this date.

[10] In the 1855-57 Name Book of the Ordnance Survey the Earlston Cottages and workshop are recorded as being the property of Thomas Smith Cuninghame Esq.

No colliery pits were in the hamlet, however the 1908 OS map shows the location of two shafts close to a square raised water tank that represents the site of the 1770s Caprington Newcomen atmospheric pumping engine that helped drain the coalfield.

[17] It is not clear where the water was pumped to for disposal as no streams are shown in the immediate area, however a square and embanked tank once stood near by.

[18] No traditional miners' row existed at Earlston however given the number of pits and collieries in the area it is likely that some were resident in the hamlet.