Summer Seat location

[Hughie]

Came across the unusual address of "Summer Seat" in both the 1819 and 1822 Stevenston Parish Censuses (Landsborough lists) Now I'm not saying they lived on what we knew as a summer seat. Any clues? Was it the name of a building?

!819

1822

[Scott McCallum]

This is from a 19th century, 25 inch map. Summerseat is down in the right hand corner. I left it rather big so that you could see the position relative to Saltcoats but if you can't magnify it then I'll do that and repost.

Scott McCallum

[Hughie]

Hi Scott, Would appreciate if you could magnify it - can't see it properly.

[Penny Tray]

I see it described as "two dwelling-houses adjoining the railway which are the property of Robert Cunninghame and occupied by John Crawford."

[Scott McCallum]

This is the best magnification that I can get. If you look at the 1860 - 25 inch OS map then you will be able to get a proper reckoning on it for yourself.

This is the small section out to the east of Saltcoats adjoining the railway line - it is approximately in the region of the footbridge over the railway inside Sandilands Caravan Park.

Scott McCallum

[Hughie]

Thanks, Scott and Penny. Wonder what the story is behind the naming.

[Penny Tray]

The "family seat" being the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy, I would imagine the "summer/seat" would be where they spent the warmer months away from the "big house".

[Max]

I've been curious about this place whilst going over the Auchenharvie colliery and the Cunninghames in history.

It was stated as a dwellinghouse owned by Robert Cunninghame back in 1856, here's the OS name book reference.

https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital- ... lume-57/36

But from what I can glean the railway line would have been pretty busy at that time with coal and ore trains going to the Earl of Eglinton's Ardrossan harbour from the Stevenston colliery, so I wouldn't have thought that the Cunninghames would have wanted to be living right next to that. The whole area was pretty industrialized by then.

It was also on the North side of the railway line so access to the beach would have involved crossing over it.

I also used the Google maps overlay to see where it was in relation to the present date, and the ruins of the dwellings would lie between the Saltcoats Vic football park and the abattoir.

[brvhrtjimmy]

my son has a lot off original letters from Robert Cunninghame of Seabank House , written to his brother when he was in prison, and letters written by his brother back to him, I haven't a clue what the brother was in prison for, dates are early 1800's I had to correct that it wasn't kerlaw house it was Seabank House

Brvhrtjimmy (James Barr )