Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
25 NOVEMBER 1873

STRANDED BRIGANTINE

The brigantine WILLIE, driven ashore at Ardrossan on Saturday morning, was floated off yesterday at high water by the workmen of Messrs P. Barclay & Son, and taken into the harbour.

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GLASGOW HERALD
25 NOVEMBER 1873

ARDROSSAN EPISCOPAL MISSION

The Rev. George Lakeman, B.D., of Liverpool, who has been appointed curate of this mission, entered on his duties on Sunday, officiating morning and evening. The services were most appropriate, and were listened to by good audiences.

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GLASGOW HERALD
25 NOVEMBER 1873

ARDROSSAN COURSING CLUB

The entry for the Champion Collar, the gift of the late Earl of Eglinton, and to which the present Earl has added the handsome sum of £30, took place in the Eglinton Hotel, Ardrossan, last night.

Thirty-two dogs were nominated, and the meeting will take place tomorrow over the Ardrossan estate, beginning at Sharphill at 9.15.

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GLASGOW HERALD
25 NOVEMBER 1878

TRADE REPORT

The following are the shipments of pig iron from Ardrossan Harbour for the week ending Saturday: -

Coastwise, 830 tons.

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GLASGOW HERALD
26 NOVEMBER 1873

ARDROSSAN COURSING CLUB

The storm that has raged over the past four days had apparently spent its force, and a lovely morning attracted to the place of meet a large attendance of spectators.

We began on the farm of Knockrivoch, and during the day coursed over Craigspark, Muirlacht, Darleith, Ittington, Busby, and a portion of Sorbie – a heavy day’s walking may well be imagined.

Hares turned up pretty plentiful in the morning, but on the background they were scarce, and numbers slipping away uncoursed, darkness found us with only twenty decided courses and two no-courses as the sum total of our day’s work.

The place of the meet tomorrow is again Sharphill, to course the grounds lying adjacent to Ardrossan.

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GLASGOW HERALD
26 NOVEMBER 1875

ARDROSSAN GRAIN MARKET

There was little business done at this market on Thursday. There were 124 bolls wheat offered, 80 of which sold at 21s 3d.

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GLASGOW HERALD
26 NOVEMBER 1903

DROWNING ACCIDENT AT ARDROSSAN

During the early hours of yesterday morning a drowning accident took place at Ardrossan Harbour.

The night was dark and stormy, and a young man named CHARLES HUTTON, an employee of the local Co-operative Society, stumbled into the old dock. Archibald Campbell, mate of a steamer lying in the dock, went into the water with the object of rescuing Hutton, but he could find no trace of the unfortunate young man, and was himself taken out in a dazed condition.

The body of Hutton was secured after some hours grappling. The deceased was a native of Brechin.

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GLASGOW HERALD
27 NOVEMBER 1871

COURT OF SESSION – GOODWIN & COMPANY v. JOHNSTONE

The pursuers of this action, Messrs James Goodwin & Company, ironfounders in Ardrossan, sought to have it judicially declared that the vessel VOLANT, formerly of Prince Edward’s Island, and now of Ardrossan, of which the defender, William Johnstone, shipmaster in Ardrossan, is the registered owner, was purchased in February, 1869, by the pursuers, and is really their property, and that the defender is only nominally the owner.

The summons also contained conclusions to have the vessel transferred to the pursuers and registered in their names, or alternatively for payment of £1060, the price alleged to have been paid by the pursuer for the vessel in 1869, and £472 said to have been expended on repairs, with interest at five per cent.

The defender being registered as the owner of the vessel, and the pursuers not having any writ of the defender’s to support their averment that they were nevertheless the true owners, referred the matter to the defender’s oath, in conformity with the case of Carlyle, 19th March, 1864, when similar averments were held to amount to an allegation of trust, which could only be proved by the writ or oath of the party.

In the course of the defender’s deposition in the reference to his oath, which was taken by Lord Ordinary (Lord Ormidale), he deponed that there was an arrangement between himself and the pursuers to the effect that he was to be the owner of the vessel, on the footing of his repaying to the pursuers the price which they had advanced out of the earnings of the vessel as he received them. These statements the Lord Ordinary held to be an intrinsic qualification of oath, which he, therefore, held to be a negative of the reference, and assoilzied the defender from the declaratory conclusions of the summons.

The pursuers reclaimed, and contended that the oath was affirmative of the reference, in respect of the defender’s admission that the vessel had been purchased with the pursuer’s money, and that he had accounted to them for her earnings. The explanations or qualifications adjected to these admissions were intrinsic to the oath.

The Court, without calling on the defender’s counsel, adhered.

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GLASGOW HERALD
27 NOVEMBER 1872

ARDROSSAN UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

A special meeting of the members of this congregation was held on Monday evening, for the purpose of deciding upon a successor in the pastorate to the Rev. W. R. Murray, now of Manchester.

The Rev. George Fairgrieve, Saltcoats, presided.

Mr Thomas Wallace proposed that Mr James Drummond, of Alva, be called to the church, which was seconded by Mr Thomas Gilfillan.

Other two candidates were also nominated, but, on the vote being taken, the number who voted for Mr Drummond was largely in excess of the other two added together.

The following commissioners were then appointed, on the motion of Mr Wallace, seconded by Mr Caldwell Anderson, to appear before the Presbytery: - Messrs Arthur Guthrie and James L. Bailey.

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GLASGOW HERALD
27 NOVEMBER 1873

ARDROSSAN COURSING CLUB

Rain fell heavily during the night, but cleared off in the morning, and, although stormy, we had not a bad day for the sport. Unfortunately, hares were very scarce, and a long toilsome trail through the fields was necessary before we could bring the stake to a close.

ROVER, the property of Mr Gairdner, Kilmarnock, divided with Mr John Dunlop’s DRUMCLOG, and the position obtained by Mr Gairdner’s puppy was extremely creditable.

Both judge and slipper were successful in pleasing all parties; and notwithstanding the scarcity of hares, the meeting may have been said to have been entirely successful.

The following is the final result: -

EGLINTON CHAMPION COLLAR

DRUMCLOG and ROVER divided, the latter getting the collar.

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GLASGOW HERALD
27 NOVEMBER 1874

ARDROSSAN GRAIN MARKET

The market was well attended on Thursday, and merchants were more inclined to purchase. Sales therefore were readily made.

Of 335 bolls wheat offered, 60 sold at 20s 6d, and 132 at 20s. There were 8 bolls oats (36 lbs) exposed, which sold at 22s.

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GLASGOW HERALD
27 NOVEMBER 1875

DECISION UNDER THE EDUCATION ACT

Sheriff Anderson has given decision at Kilmarnock Small Debt Court in a case involving an important question of law under the Education Act.

The action was raised against Ardrossan School Board by a woman who had been employed by them as a cleaner at Saltcoats Public School, and who alleged that she had been engaged for a year at a salary of £3 per annum, paid quarterly.

On 1 June last, during the currency of the alleged engagement, she was dismissed, and she afterwards sued for a quarter’s wages.

Mr James Henderson appeared for the purser, and Mr J. P. Stevenson for the school board.

It was contended on behalf of the school board that they had no power to enter into an engagement for any definite time, and an opinion was stated to have been obtained by the Teachers’ Association of Scotland from the Solicitor-General affirming this view of the matter, in accordance with a decision previously given by the Sheriff of Perthshire.

Evidence having been led in proof of the alleged engagement, Mr Stevenson contended that even although such an engagement had been entered into it was contrary to the Act of Parliament. It was illegal for the board to tie itself down to any appointment except as being “during the pleasure of the board,” so that any of its servants might be appointed at one meeting and dismissed at the next.

Mr Henderson held that the Act simply gave the board power to appoint during their pleasure. The word was may not shall, and the board might appoint for three or six or twelve months as they saw fit.

The Sheriff held that the alleged engagement had been proved, and gave decree for the amount claimed.