Silverwood, Ayrshire

Timothy Pont's map of circa 1654 (See illustration) shows 'Sylverwood' with wooded policies and a pale encircling it on three sides, the Templeton Burn forming the boundary to the West.

He was the son of Matthew Cuming, a merchant in Glasgow, and held the lands at an annual rent of £78 16s 5d.

[1] The 6 inch OS maps of the 19th century show a formal laid out garden with a nearby orchard.

William Aiton (sheriff), author in the early 1800s of ‘A Treatise on Moss-earth’; ‘General View of the Agriculture of the County of Ayr’; ‘General View of the Agriculture of the County of Bute’; ‘A History of the Rencounter at Drumclog and Battle at Bothwell Bridge’; ‘An Inquiry into the Pedigree of the Hamilton Family’; and an ‘Inquiry into the House of Aiton in Scotland,’ was from Silverwood.

This species would have predominated in the Templetonburn Glen as the typical climatic vegetation for this habitat when the area was less well drained and free from artificial plantings.

The wood contains what appears to be the remains of an old march dyke and several depressions within the site are suggestive of old limestone workings.

[9] This was a valuable Barony, linked to Lambroughton through it having been part of the possessions of the De Morvilles up until the time of King Robert the Bruce.

In 1320 Sir Robert Cuninghame of Kilmaurs held the lands and later the Logans of Restalrig came into possession.

The Scottish feudal barony of Grougar contained 70 acres of the lands of Caprickhill, including Holmhead and Miltonmill.

In 1742 these lands had belonged to Thomas Millar and were sold to William Wallace for £170; in 1811 the properties were worth £7,000.