Collieries

Montgomeriefield brickworks with Dreghorn village in the background and Greenwood farm in the foreground.

A. KENNETH & SONS.

Archibald Kenneth (1799-1882) was born at Kilwinning and became a well known coalmaster. Kenneth's family home was at Buckredden House, Kilwinning. His two youngest sons, Robert (1837-1891) and James (1843-1915) also became coal masters at Bourtreehill and Shewalton. In December 1946 a new company was registered as Kenneths’ Building Services Ltd by Robert Kenneth (1877-1971) of Bourtreehill and his brother James Kenneth (1879-1954) who lived in Lochgilphead. The third director was James Ormond Kenneth (1913-1971). The reason for the new company name being that the National Coal Board was created by the government to take over all UK collieries from 1 January 1947.

They had coal pits in Shewalton; Montgomeriefield brickworks and fire clay works; Warrix pits and fire clay works (now the site of the Warrix Interchange) and coal pits in Springside.

Springside Square was near Springside farm and the railway station.

Springhill Institute, Springside. Photo by Roger Griffith.

A. FINNIE & SONS.

The Finnie's were ironmongers in Kilmarnock. Archibald moved into the coal buisiness circa 1836. Archibald Finnie Esq of Spring Hill, Kilmarnock was the coal master of West Thornton Colliery from 1854-1870 and Springhill Pit from 1869-1870. A. Finnie & Sons closed West Thornton Colliery in 1873 and kept Springhill Pit in operation from 1895-1910. The Springhill Pit was taken over by J & R Howie from 1915-1925 when it closed.

A legacy of Finnie & Sons was the Miners Welfare Institute for the men working at the Springhill Colliery. The building would consist of a hall, library, and gym. When Margaret Sturrock (the last member of the Finnie family) of Thornton House died in 1947 she left an endowment fund for the upkeep of the Institute. In 1952 the building was bought by Ayr County Council and was used as the Community Centre.

The old Springhill Row, the only miners row still extant in the village, faces Kilmarnock Road that it now takes its name from.

Merry & Cunningham

James Merry and Alexander Cunninghame were coal masters at Warwickhill, Drummuir, Overton, Paddocklaw and Perceton. James Merry left the company in 1876 and by 1890 the company was divided between Glengarnock Iron Works and Glengarnock Iron and Steel Company.

When Audrey McNeish opened up the Toffee Coo Tearoom at Overton Farm in 2017 she sparked an interest in the local history of Overton. Photos were brought in from locals and Audrey copied them and displayed them in the tearoom. These two photos show the residents of the Overton Rows that existed at the time the pit and fireclay works were in operation. If only we knew who they were.

Bourtreehill Coal Company

The company was founded around 1845 by George Young from Kilmarnock and George Black from Riccarton. Young & Black were prominent coal masters in the Parish occupying Perceton and Capringstone Collieries and Broomlands Pit. The colliery later became part of the Bourtreehill Coal Company. James Findlay (1860-1924), was listed as coal master in the 1884 Post Office Directory and the name, Bourtreehill Coal company, first appears in the 1907 Directory. James's brother-in-law, John Hutchison, was a partner in the Bourtreehill Coal and Fire Clay Company

The road from Dreghorn to Springside show the Six Rows of Finnie & Sons on the left and Corsehill Square on the right, which was owned by the Bourtreehill Coal Company.