The lands of Threepwood were located in the Parish of Beith, at the eastern boundary between East Renfrewshire and North Ayrshire, Scotland. The settlements of Midtown, Townhead and Townend were part of the old Threepwood Estate. Cuffhill at 675 feet is the highest eminence in the parish and it overlooks the area with Little Hill and Cuff Hill and Little Hill plantations nearby, now situated next to the entirely artificial Cuffhill Reservoir.
History of the lands of Threepwood The name 'Threepwood', 'Thriepwood' or 'Threppe-wood'Paterson, p. 115 may derive from the Scots term 'Threap-wood' meaning a piece of woodland the ownership of which was disputed and found in Ayrshire as a place name. In Scottish history the term Threaplands referred to the Debatable Lands on the Scottish-English border.Dictionary of Scots Retrieved 2013-11-12
The Lairds Avice de Morville, wife of Richard de Morville and daughter of William de Lancaster, Baron of Kendal, gave the lands of Threppe-wood to Kilwinning Abbey in the 12th century.Dobie, p. 255 The lands in 1556 were leased by Gavin Hamilton, Commendator of Kilwinning Abbey, to Adam Hamilton of Holmhead. In 1557 Adam passed the lease to John Hamilton of Stanehouse for "thirteen score of merks, thirty bolls seeds oats, six bolls of bere, four oxen and a brown horse" and a few months later John obtained a feu that passed the lands to the family in perpetuity for an annual payment.Paterson, p. 117 In 1574 John passed the lands to his son James. In 1633 James Hamilton sold the lands to Robert Luiff or Love.
The Loves previously held the name McKinnon and in 1613 a James Luiff appears to have lived at Threepwood judging from a stone at Threepwood that is inscribed 'I.L. & B.S. 1613' for James Luiff and Barbara Stewart. This Barbara may have been a close relation of Matho Stewart, a tenant of Threepwood under the abbacy's control.Paterson, p. 118 The surname Love originated from the word for wolf, 'Luef' in French, and 'Lufe' or Luiff in the Scots language.The Legend of the Luiff Retrieved 2013-11-17
Robert Love may have been their son and is described as being 'portioner of Threepwood' as he sold or sub-feued Townend Farm to Thomas Fulton and Midtoun or Mid Town to William Anderson. James Love, his son, married Barbara Stewart of Risk in Lochwinnoch parish in 1652 as recorded on a stone inscribed 'J.L. & B.S. 1652' and inherited the remaining lands of Threepwood in 1649. Robert Love of Threepwood the younger inherited in 1693-94 and married in 1690 an Agnes Stevenston from Bra-Haugh near Neilston and another marriage stone at Threepwood records this.Paterson, p. 119 In 1734 another Robert Love was born to James Love and Jean Robison of Wardyett and he inherited from his grandfather in 1769 as his father had died in 1743. The last named Robert had a son of the same name who married twice, first to Janet Cochrane of Millthird and secondly to Jean Connell of South Castlewalls.
John Love was born in 1781 and was man of some importance, being a Commissioner of Supply, a Justice of the Peace and a Road Trustee. He purchased the lands of 'Tower of Auchenbathie, 'New Mill of Auchengown Stewart' and those of Netherhill near Dunlop. John married Jean Fulton of Sproulston.Paterson, p. 120 Their eldest son Robert was a writer in Lochwinnoch who married Mary Hunter Carswell of Reivoch in 1844 and had an only daughter Mary Hunter Carswell Love.
Threepwood
The lands of Threepwood lay in the Barony of Beith, Regality of Kilwinning and Bailiary of Cunninghame. The lands may have once reached as far as the Barrcraigs as the Cross of Brakraigs (sic) is shown on Blaeu's map suggesting that Kilwinning Abbey's lands extended to this point.Paterson, p. 115 The march or boundary to the east was with the Barony of Auchinbathie, to the west were the lands of Auchingown Stewart and Brownmuir (Brimmer); to the south-west those of Hessilhead and to the south the march was the lands of Shutterflat.Paterson, p. 116
Roy's military map of 1747-55 shows a settlement named Townhead and another named Middletown but no mention of Threepwood.Roy's Military Map Retrieved 2013-11-12 Armstrong's map of 1775 marks Threepwood and shows two settlements that correspond in position to those recorded by Roy.Armstrong's Map Retrieved 2013-11-12 John Ainslie's 1821 map marks Threepwood and also a Townhead.John Ainslie's Map Retrieved 2013-11-12 Thomson's 1832 map shows a laird's style dwelling of Threepwood and a group of two buildings below, also marked as Threepwood, with a lane running between. In 1828 'Bleachfield' is recorded with two separate buildings, one next to a millpond on the Cadgerford Burn and the other next to the Dusk Water.Thomson's 1828 Map Retrieved 2013-11-13
The three 'Towns' of Threepwood looks to have been the typical 'ferm toun' settlement arrangement such as at Hessilhead, the origin of which lies in the common medieval sub-division of land called a ploughgate (104 acres), the extent of land which one plough team of oxen could till in a year. This area was again subdivided into four husbandlands, each of . Each husbandland could provide two oxen and eight oxen were need for a plough-team. This arrangement led to small farm towns being established with accommodation for at least four men in six to eight houses, taking practical considerations into account.Dickinson, p. 218 Another similar 'ferm toun' also existed at Bloak, near Auchentiber, until the 1890s.
Threepwood House First shown as a 'Laird's' house in 1832, by 1858 Threepwood House is shown above Mid Town as a substantial group of buildings with a square ornamental garden with internal paths lying in a walled garden immediately to the west of the house. An older house has had byres and other outbuildings built to transform the house into a farm. Substantial woodland policies were planted nearby with Tandle Hill nearby.
Mid Town of Threepwood
Mid Town Farm was obtained by William Anderson in the 1630s from Robert Love of Threepwood. In 1858 the settlement is marked with a single roofed building and a ruin that abuts onto the lane leading up to Threepwood House. In 1895 Mid Town is shown as a ruin.
Town Head of Threepwood In 1858 Town Head is shown as a single building accessed from the west and in 1895 it is roofless, but a new private dwelling has been built at the site in recent times.
Townend of Threepwood
In the 1630s Townend Farm was obtained from Robert Love by Thomas Fulton. Hugh Stevenson was the farmer at Townend of Threepwood Farm in the early 19th century and after his death his sons succeeded him, later however the lands were divided and sold. The Barn-fauld field was purchased by John Love, Esq., of Threepwood. Circa 1847 the area was surveyed and divided off from the other portion of the property which was then purchased by Robert Shedden Patrick, Esq., of Trearne and Hazlehead. In 1646 a John Fulton is recorded as dwelling at the farm of Boydston near Mill of Beith.Paterson, p. 84
John Shedden of Marshalland, called "The Lang Laird" because of his height, married Mary Stevenson of Townend of Threepwood. The couple had five daughters and one son, John, known as "Jack the Marshalland" or "The Gem-keeper".Dobie (1896), p. 193
Jack the Marshalland
Born on 25 April 1756, John Shedden of Marshalland married Mary Raeside in 1836, however they had no offspring. John was a tall man, strong and a notorious poacher of hares at a time when poaching was governed by archaic laws. After several court appearances Jack moved to a large estate in England where he worked as the head gamekeeper, earning a good wage and returning with substantial savings. On his return he became ironically known as "The Gem keeper" and when he died his poacher friend Thomas Stevenson fired off his gun to the "rict and left" over his grave, much to the surprise of George Colville, the minister at the time.Dobie (1896), p. 194
Uses In 1858 a group of buildings are shown here with three unroofed and two in use. The road widened here on both sides and a small building with a nearby well lay on the northern side, the southern side having two out of three buildings that faced the road still roofed, although the shed or byre attached to the westernmost is shown as a ruin. A sizeable rectangular enclosure lies to the west on the other side of the access driveway to Sunnyside of Threepwood. In 1895 only the westernmost building appears to be in use and the others are not even marked.25" OS Map Retrieved 2013-11-13 The single building is still shown as roofed in 1908 and 1912.6" OS Map Retrieved 2013-11-13
At first a farm, the site lost most of the buildings until only one remained in 1908. A busy area in terms of horse drawn transport along Threepwood Road and pedestrian traffic so that the building may have provided accommodation for travellers and/or bleach works employees. The unusual 'window' at the back resembles the 'Jug' windows found in pubs where a jug or bottle of beer was filled and taken away to be consumed elsewhere as recorded in this poem about 'The Den' at Barkip - The Auld Hoose is stinnin yet, we kent it best by Pugs, But there's no a buddy rinnin noo, wi bottles or wi jugs. For noo its lost its license, an' there's no a drap ava, Though miny a bottle has been selt, through the wee hole in the wa'.
The narrow 'layby' on the roadside with a well and small building suggests water and food for horses.
Threepwood Bleach Works
Cotton cloth or linen was originally bleached by repeatedly steeping it in an alkaline solution or lye derived from ash tree or fern ashes, called 'bucking'.Wood-ash Lye Retrieved 2013-11-13 The treated cloth was then washed and exposed to sunshine and air by being hung out in bleachfields or 'crofts'. After being immersed in buttermilk, called ‘souring’ it was given a further wash, and then dried. The process was very time-consuming and could take up to eight months to 'buck', 'sour' and finally dry.Ashes in the Washtub Retrieved 2013-11-13
Two separate bleach works are marked on the Ordnance Survey maps and areas of open ground are indicated which would have been the bleachfields. Ample supplies of water were available from the Cadgerford Burn and the Dusk Water that run through the area. Supplies of lye made from ash tree ashes would have been plentiful in this well wooded district. In 1828 the 'Bleachfield' is recorded with two buildings in different areas that are probably the bleach works. The largest bleach works lay next to a millpond fed by the Cadgerford Burn that supplied water for both the 'bucking' process and power for the waterwheel. Dye works buildings lay close by with a path marked that also ran to the other bleach works site that lay next to the Dusk Water with a wooden bridge over the watercourse.1858 OS 6" Map Retrieved 2013-11-13 By 1895 both bleach works and the dye house are shown as ruins on the OS maps which links with the discovery of chlorine on the late 18th century after which Bleach works and the associated bleachfields became redundant.
By 1855-57 the works are recorded in the Ordnance Survey name book as bleaching linen thread, worked by water and providing accommodation for workers. A Mr John Stevenson was the occupier whilst the Love family were the proprietors.OS Name Book of 1855-57
Lows Cottage near Coldhame was a retting works and was located next to one of the Lowes Lochs which was used as a retting pond for flax preparation. Davie's o'the Mill lay nearby and is thought to have been a flax or lint mill, leading to the suggestion that these industrial activities all located along Threepwood Road and nearby may have been inter-dependent business ventures. A flax or lint mill also once existed near Brownmuir on the Muir Burn. Flax made into linen was also used in the manufacture of thread by the Crawford Brothers, first in Beith and later in Barrmill.Reid (2000), p. 52
Sunnyside of Threepwood