In the year 1124,
King David
1st ascended to the throne of Scotland. David had spent
his youth at the court of Henry 1st, the Norman King of England.
When he returned to Scotland he brought north with him, ambitious
young knights as his supporters. The names of some of these men
would become part of Scotland's story -
Balliol, Bruce
and Stewart (Fitz-Allan). It is likely that the lordship of
Kilmarnock was created at this time. During King David's long reign
the first Scottish burghs were created. A town which became a burgh
gained the right to hold regular markets and the ability to
regulate local trade.
Kilmarnock remained little more than a small town for the next few
centuries, but with the establishment of the feudal system the town
became the dependant centre providing for the needs of peace and
war, manufacturing in addition to agricultural produce, metal and
leather goods, spinning and weaving. In the following centuries the
Boyds (the first record of the Boyd family was in 1263 following
the
Battle of
Largs) and the people of Kilmarnock are mentioned as playing a
great part in the forays against the English. In the year 1315
King
Robert the
Bruce awarded the lands of Kilmarnock to
Sir Robert
Boyd in recognition of his part in the defeat of Edward II
at the Battle of Bannockburn. Kilmarnock Castle, which is now
better known as
Dean
Castle was to become the stronghold of the Boyds for the
next 400 years. As a result of his fealty to the crown, the sixth
Lord of Kilmarnock, Thomas Boyd was instrumental in having the town
made a Burgh of Barony in 1591 by James VI. The town had gained the
key to its future growth and prosperity. The map-maker
Timothy
Pont, writing in the early 17th century, described the town as
a '
large village of grate repair'. The small town
consisted of low houses arranged around a stone bridge crossing the
river Marnock. At the town's centre stood a church and a market
cross.
In 1661 the eighth Lord Boyd was created Earl of Kilmarnock, and
in 1672 he obtained, from Charles II, a second charter conferring
fresh rights and privileges on the town. Much of the small town was
rebuilt following a violent fire in 1688, and it was about this
time that the people of Kilmarnock began to develop their own
special skills and characteristics. By the beginning of the
eighteenth century the trade of the town was considered to be more
extensive than that of any other town in the county. Its position
on the road between Glasgow and London brought it, when coach
routes were established, in closer contact with the outer world,
and laid the foundations for its trade and manufactures and its
future prosperity. William Boyd, the 3rd Earl of Kilmarnock, passed
legislation at this time to protect the town's blossoming trade,
"
The said Baylies to hold and affix courts within the bounds of
the said town, with power to make and create burgesses of the burgh
of Kilmarnock, debarring all others from merchandising, trade or
mechanisme, except them that shall receive burgess tickets for that
effect".
When the poet
Robert
Burns moved to Mossgeil, a farm not far from Mauchline, he
became a frequent visitor to Kilmarnock, making many friends and
coming to know the local characters. The town Burns knew would have
still resembled, in some respects, the community described by
writers in the previous century. But 18th century Kilmarnock was
very much part of the modern world of ideas and literature. In a
building near the centre of Kilmarnock known as the Star Close, a
printing press was set up. It was here in 1786 that the
first edition of Robert Burns' poetic works went into
print. For this reason, Kilmarnock lies at the very heart of the
poet's story.
During the 19th century, burghs which had been set up for
commercial purposes - to hold markets and set trading standards -
were given responsibility for a range of other services to the
community. They were beginning to resemble the local authorities
with which we are familiar today. By this time Kilmarnock was a
Parliamentary Burgh, electing its own Member of Parliament. In 1871
the boundaries of the town were extended to include Riccarton and
Beansburn and the enlarged Town Council was given responsibility
for water and gas supplies. The town had planning powers vested in
the Dean of Guild Court and was now running its own police force.
The town was described by the historian Archibald McKay in
1880,"
Many beautiful and imposing villas and cottages have been
built within the last few years throughout the Burgh. All of which
give ample evidence of a prevailing taste for the elegancies and
refinements of life."
A huge programme of reconstruction has been changing the face
of Kilmarnock over the last half century or so. Four extensive
housing schemes have been built on the outskirts of the town. An
ambitious programme has provided a new town centre, well served by
road, car parks and bus services. All in all, Kilmarnock to-day is
a thriving progressive town in which the citizens take a real
pride.