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I’ve been reading today about an assault which occurred at BELLHILL, Stevenston, in 1888. I’ve never heard of this location, and it doesn’t seem to have been mentioned previously in ‘Threetowners’.

Does anybody know where it was?

Penny Tray wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 1:47 pm I’ve been reading today about an assault which occurred at BELLHILL, Stevenston, in 1882. I’ve never heard of this location, and it doesn’t seem to have been mentioned previously in ‘Threetowners’.

Does anybody know where it was?

Was it definitely in Ayrshire - my friend lived in New Stevenston which is near Bellshill. Just a thought ...

I've been racking my brains as well.
The only 'hills' that I ever heard of in Stevenston are Mill Hill, which still exists; the Doo Hill, which was a flat area between the Townhead and Glencairn St. and is now Mount Pleasant, and the sandy hills, the waste-ground which was between Boglemart St. and Hillside St. and is now built up.
I've a notion that Meg could be right.

JD.

Meg/John,

The New Stevenston/Bellshill link is a clever thought, but the assailants in the assault case duly appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, which is where serious assault cases from Stevenston are referred.

I don't know Stevenston well, but I was thinking along the lines of some road or path which might have extended from the Cross area up the incline towards the High Kirk which had both bells, and a clock, which presumably chimed!

John Donnelly wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 3:54 pm I've been racking my brains as well.
The only 'hills' that I ever heard of in Stevenston are Mill Hill, which still exists; the Doo Hill, which was a flat area between the Townhead and Glencairn St. and is now Mount Pleasant, and the sandy hills, the waste-ground which was between Boglemart St. and Hillside St. and is now built up.
I've a notion that Meg could be right.

JD.

I think to just about everyone from Stevenston the 'Sandy Hill's' are located down at the shore - but I definitely remember an area somewhere between old St John's Primary and Boglemart street where the terrain had a distinctive sandy look and feel to it. That and the old Gasworks, great memories.

Penny Tray wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 5:37 pm Meg/John,

The New Stevenston/Bellshill link is a clever thought, but the assailants in the assault case duly appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, which is where serious assault cases from Stevenston are referred.

I don't know Stevenston well, but I was thinking along the lines of some road or path which might have extended from the Cross area up the incline towards the High Kirk which had both bells, and a clock, which presumably chimed!

Like you PT, I’m not really familiar with Stevenston, sorry.

Kittywake wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 5:54 pm I think to just about everyone from Stevenston the 'Sandy Hill's' are located down at the shore - but I definitely remember an area somewhere between old St John's Primary and Boglemart street where the terrain had a distinctive sandy look and feel to it. That and the old Gasworks, great memories.

This was the area, surrounding the "White Wife" pond not far from St John's, that was called the "Sandy Hills" by all the boys I knocked about with.

exile wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 10:54 am This was the area, surrounding the "White Wife" pond not far from St John's, that was called the "Sandy Hills" by all the boys I knocked about with.

I don't doubt your own recollections.

I attended St John's myself though and hardly if at all remember folk using that particular name for the area around the White Wife. The Sandy (Sawny) Hills area was always located down at the shore to us and is obviously still there today. Maybe we should just call them Sandy1 and Sandy2 in whichever order we prefer.

Penny Tray wrote: ↑Sun May 02, 2021 1:47 pm I’ve been reading today about an assault which occurred at BELLHILL, Stevenston, in 1888. I’ve never heard of this location, and it doesn’t seem to have been mentioned previously in ‘Threetowners’.

Does anybody know where it was?

Going down another road here, but growing up in what's well known as the top end of Stevenston we kids often visited the surrounding Countryside. There was a 'Bluebell Plantation' area that was maybe only a hundred yards or so from the Country rd. It was definitely a very hilly looking mound and all of us kids knew of it.
Given that the reported assault occurred at BELLHILL, Stevenston, I'm wondering to myself if there may be some connection.