Ardrossan - On This Day In History

Published stories from each town's past.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
22 OCTOBER 1841

ARDROSSAN COURSING CLUB

The Ardrossan Coursing Club held its autumn meeting on the 14th and 15th instant. The members attended in great number, both in the field and at the table, and the coursing was enjoyed by a large assemblage of spectators. Notwithstanding the occasional showers on Thursday, the ladies’ carriages kept the ground during most of the day, but unfortunately none were to be seen on Friday, when the sun shone forth with a splendour which told magnificently on the scenery, and which never tells so well as where it can be reflected by the broad face of a dimpling sea.

Among the members and spectators we observed the Earl of Eglinton, Lord Cassilis, Sir John C. Fairlie, Bart.; Mr Newcomen, Mr H. Maxwell of Calderwood, Major Campbell, Major Martin, etc., etc.

The hares abounded, and in general stood before the dogs with great strength.

On the result of the running it may be remarked, for the encouragement alike of young coursers, and of limited breeders, that the Cup was won by the last elected member of the Club, and with a dog lately purchased from one who is not a regular breeder, and that the dog which run second to her was procured in a similar way, and though brought to the ground by his quondam rustic owner without having been what is called trained, proved himself superior to the carefully bred and trained lot of his new associates.

Contrasted with the result of the Cup, is that for the Eglinton Park Stake, which crowned the exertions of 14 years with their first success, and should add one to the competitors for the Caledonian Gold Cup.

Although 91 hares were coursed during the two days, there will be plenty, and to spare, for the grand National Meeting, which commences there on Monday next, and will exhibit the performances of the greatest number of first class greyhounds ever pitted against each other in Ayrshire.

The Cup for dogs of 1840 was won by Mr G. Pollok’s MARY GRAY.
They Tyro for dogs of 1840 was won by Dr. Brown’s VULCAN.
The Champion Collar and Cup was won by Lord Eglinton’s FINGAL.
The Eglinton Park Stake was won by Major Mackay’s COLONEL.
The Harbour Stake was won by Mr A. Graham’s PENNY POST.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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CASUALTY OF WAR
22 OCTOBER 1914

Died on service, Private PHILIP HART, (27), Service No. 7275, 1st Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers – Theatre of war, France and Flanders – born at and resident of Peebles; enlisted at Ardrossan.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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CASUALTY OF WAR
22 OCTOBER 1918

CASUALTY OF WAR

Died on service, Driver PATRICK McNAMEE (sometimes MacNamee) (20), Royal Field Artillery – Theatre of war, France and Flanders – son of Patrick and Bessie McNamee, 13 Harbour Place, Ardrossan.

The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald subsequently reported: -

“Word has been received by Mr and Mrs MacNamee, 13 Harbour Place, Ardrossan, that their son, Driver Patrick MacNamee, R.F. Artillery, had died of wounds on 22 October.

Driver MacNamee, before joining the Colours, was employed at Ardrossan Harbour.

The parents and other relatives are sympathised with in their sad loss.”
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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CASUALTY OF WAR
23 OCTOBER 1915

Died on service, Fireman JAMES PARKES, (36), HMS Perth – Theatre of war, Home – husband of Sarah Parkes, 71 Vere Street, Belfast – buried at Ardrossan Cemetery.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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CASUALTY OF WAR
23 OCTOBER 1916

Died on service, Second Lieutenant ARCHIBALD THOMSON HENDRY, (34), 3rd Battalion Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders – Theatre of war, Home – born at Ardrossan; buried at Ardrossan Cemetery; son of Mary Hendry and the late Charles Hendry.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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CASUALTY OF WAR
23 OCTOBER 1918

Died on service, Private ROBERT BRECKENRIDGE CURRIE, (20), 5th Scottish Rifles – Theatre of war, France and Flanders – son of William and Jeannie Currie, 88 Glasgow Street, Ardrossan.

The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald subsequently reported: -

“Mr and Mrs William Currie, 88 Glasgow Street, Ardrossan, have received official notice that their son, Private Robert B. Currie, 5th Scottish Rifles, died on 23rd October, at a Casualty Clearing Station in France from Shrapnel wounds.

Private Currie joined the Army in December, 1917, and went to France in May of this year.

Prior to joining up he was engaged in the locomotive department of the Glasgow & South-Western Railway at Ardrossan.”
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
24 OCTOBER 1892

DROWNING CASE

On Saturday morning the body of DAVID McCORMACK, harbour watchman, was found on the embankment to the north of the Caledonian Railway Station, Ardrossan. He had apparently lain down above the water mark and been drowned with the return of the tide.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
25 OCTOBER 1850

AT ARDROSSAN FOR BOMBAY

At Ardrossan for Bombay, the splendid coppered GRACE McVEA, 845 tons register, Hugh McDonnell, Commander, will be pointedly despatched on 5th November.

Goods per railway, from Glasgow to Ardrossan, forwarded at ship’s expense, and Custom-House entries passed free of charge to the shipper.

For freight or passage apply to John & Walter Scott, 17 Gordon Street, Glasgow.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
25 OCTOBER 1916

DEATH ON SERVICE

HENRY: At Ripon, on the 23rd instant, Archibald Thomson Hendry [born at Ardrossan], 2nd Lieutenant Cameron Highlanders, youngest son of the late Charles Hendry and of Mrs Mary Hendry, 51 Glencairn Drive, Pollokshields, and of Dishington & Hendry, 52 St. Enoch Square, Glasgow.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
26 OCTOBER 1838

ARDROSSAN COURSING CLUB

The Ardrossan Club met on Thursday and Friday, the 18th and 19th instant, to compete for three prizes.

The Cup for dogs pupped in 1837 was won by Mr A. Graham’s STEWARTFIELD.
The Ardrossan Stakes was won by Mr A. Graham’s JUDY, BLACK BESS, and SASSENACH.
The Eglinton Castle Stakes was won by Dr Brown’s RUBY.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
26 OCTOBER 1895

GLASGOW SEAMAN DROWNED

While the Glasgow sailing ship FIRTH OF CLYDE, in tow of the tug boat EARL, was leaving Ardrossan for Rio de Janeiro with a cargo of coal, a seaman named Matthews, belonging to Glasgow fell from the bowsprit and was drowned. He sank almost immediately after falling into the water.

A buoy was thrown out, the vessel brought to, and a boat lowered, but nothing more was seen of him.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
27 OCTOBER 1848

EXECUTION OF JAMES McWHEELAN

This is an abridged account of the execution at Ayr, yesterday, of James McWheelan, who was recently convicted of the murder and robbery of a young peasant lad named James Young, on a country road, a few miles from Kilmarnock: -

Until within a few days of his execution, McWheelan exhibited a very unsatisfactory state of mind. Brutalised by a life spent in flagrant sin and with debauched companions, and yet possessed of shrewdness and mental powers such as induced one who has often visited him to remark that “had he received a good education he might have turned out a most extraordinary character” – the unhappy man seems to have exerted himself to the utmost to beat off all that might have wrought upon him to repentance, and to nerve himself to brave out his fate to the last.

The melancholy cleverness with which he succeeded in parrying questions, as well as his ferocious demeanour when excited, rendered it necessary that the utmost tact should be used in conversation with him; and we are pleased to learn that nothing could surpass in this this respect, as well as in every other, the unwearied kindness and attention shown him by the Rev. Messrs Knox of the United Presbyterian Church, and Graham of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, and by the Governor of the Prison, Mr McKissock, for whom the unfortunate man had formed a peculiar attachment.

About Sunday night last, after a long conversation with the Governor of the Prison, he became more softened, and since then he has evinced greater disposition to listen to the spiritual counsel so unweariedly tendered him.

On Tuesday last he was visited by a young woman with whom he had maintained a connection at Ardrossan. She was accompanied by Mr King of Ardrossan, their late master.

The meeting seemed to make a good deal of impression on McWheelan, and left him much agitated – though he tried several times to stop her grief by bidding her imitate him – “Did she not see how cheery he was?” – and attempted to avert speaking of more suitable subjects by giving a long account of what he called “his first fuddle.”

The woman, it is said, exhorted him to confess his crime, when his quick rejoinder was – “Ay! Who learned you to come up with that story? It’s strange everyone wants me to go to the scaffold with a lie in my mouth.”


On Wednesday forenoon, in the course of conversation with the Governor, he made a simple admission of his being guilty of the murder of James Young at Fortacres, though he would not enter upon any particulars.

He wished the girl, before alluded to, to be again sent for, when he said he would confess to her all his wickedness, and “what he had seen since the deed.” But as she had returned to Ardrossan, and most probably could not have been got in time, she was not sent for.

McWheelan was a Protestant, or rather, as he himself said, “If he could be anything at all, he was a Protestant by birth,” but his opinions were a mass of the most pernicious of the social and infidel class, which he had imbibed for the most part at a smithy in the north of Ayrshire, at which he had wrought for a considerable time as a hammerman, and where these destructive tenets had been industriously disseminated among the workmen. These maintained a strong hold on his mind till the very last. In the course of the argument, he would ask, if by the common creed the man who had committed three murders would be punished with three times the severity of him who had committed one – dwelling upon the number three – so that those who heard him were induced to suspect that this was not the only murder he had had a hand in.

These impious opinions were considerably modified during the last few days of his life.

As before his trial, McWheelan had attempted to commit suicide, and he constantly declared “he would not go to the scaffold a living man,” two keepers kept him close company.

During the time he was in court undergoing his trial, the small blade of a weavers’ scissors was found secreted in his room; and sometime afterwards a bent nail, the point of which he had managed to sharpen, was found in his bed.

Several books calculated to be useful to one in his situation, were supplied to him; but as he could with difficulty read, he got one or other of his attendants to read to him. He did not, however, seem to care for any except those which gave accounts of persons in his situation. When in these he would come to a conversation held by the clergyman with the criminal, he would often ask the reader to pass over that part.

What chiefly arrested his attention was generally the account of how the crime was committed, he would accompany the narrative with comments of his own, such as – “Ay, he ought not to have done that”; “he ought to have held his peace there,” and so on.

In connection with anything he heard read, his memory was truly wonderful. If he heard one of these pamphlets of several pages read but once, he would read it off nearly verbatim.

The scaffold was erected during the night, and the magistrates and authorities met about quarter past seven o’clock, and at that time repaired to one of the day rooms of the prison, where Rev. Messrs Graham and Knox had been engaged with the prisoner in spiritual exercises. The prisoner took no rest that night at all.

Mr Graham, at the prisoner’s request, delivered a most earnest prayer on behalf of the unfortunate man; and having been previously pinioned, he was then brought out to the scaffold.

In passing through the prison yard pinioned, he walked with a firm gait, much more cool and composed to appearance, than any of his attendants or even any of the group of authorities and others, whose unpleasant duty it was to witness his last moments.

We were very much struck with the prisoner’s personal appearance. In height, he might be 5 feet 10 inches, apparently 38 years of age, though in reality 32. His forehead seemed ample and white, with jet-black hair and bushy whiskers, swarthy Italian-like complexion and visage, with large lambent black eyes, and a voice remarkable for its full deep rich tones. His person was very muscular and well knit.

In short, he appeared a peculiar man in every respect, and possessed, even in his black clothes and subdued position, very much the aspect of a powerful Italian brigand.

As the authorities and others waited in the outer court, it might be supposed the poor man would quail before so many strangers as he advanced, but we never saw so complete a picture of indomitable resolution and perfect composure. His gait was erect and unawed in the slightest degree, as in calm accents, unmarred by the slightest agitation of nerve or muscle, he shook hands with the Governor and his attendants, and said generally to all present – “I bear anger at no man; I owe no man any ill will; Fare-ye-well.” These were his last words to his fellow creatures in this world, and he walked to the door of the prison, ascended the scaffold and stood with some stoical firmness, without uttering a word till the venerable executioner adjusted the rope, and drew the cap over his face.

The wretched criminal then with a calm but firm and melodious voice, which floated in whispers along the crowd, prayed fervently to be reconciled with God, in the course of which could be distinctly heard such sentences as, “Lord take me to thyself; Oh Lord do not let my guilty soul die in sin.”

Most poor creatures on such occasions require to be supported on ascending the scaffold, but in this instance, prayer without dropping the handkerchief or shifting his position in the least degree, was continued for thirty minutes, when the magistrates passed the signal to the executioner, who drew the bolt, and the unfortunate victim was launched into eternity.

His struggles at first were not great, but strong convulsions continued for several minutes.

The crowd was great, numbering fully as many women and children as men, and embracing many strangers from considerable distances.

The proceedings were conducted, however, with marked order, the Sheriff Substitute, Magistrates, and Council, and a body of special constables being present, while a detachment of Yeomanry protected the scaffold.

After hanging the usual time, the body was cut down, to be buried in the precincts of the prison, and the crowd, which only once indicated any feeling by “a groan,” quietly dispersed.
Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.
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